InterMat Staff

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State Nittany Lion wrestling team (8-0, 4-0 B1G) took care of visiting Purdue (5-4, 0-3 B1G) in its first home dual in over a month. The Nittany Lions handled the Boilermakers 43-6 in front of yet another sold out Rec Hall crowd to remain unbeaten on the year. Over 6,500 fans watched as Penn State won every contested bout, giving up only one forfeit loss. Penn State did not give up a takedown in the victory and notched four pins to roll over the Boilermakers. The dual began at 125 where Purdue's Luke Welch received a forfeit victory to give the Boilermakers an early 6-0 lead. Penn State's freshmen 125-pounders were both ill and simply could not compete. Senior Corey Keener (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.) got Penn State on the board with an exciting 3-2 win over Boiler Ben Thornton in the dual's first contested bout. True freshman Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 7 at 141, made his Rec Hall debut and did not disappoint. Lee rolled to a 14-4 major over Purdue's Nate Limmex to put Penn State up 7-6. Senior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, notched six takedowns in less that :90 and then turned Purdue's Austin Nash at the 1:41 mark to give Penn State a 13-6 lead. The fall was Retherford's 14th of the year. Junior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, turned a quick second period takedown into his 14th pin of the year to give the Nittany Lions a 19-6 lead at intermission. Sophomore Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.) ranked No. 1 at 165, got Penn State started in the second half in fine fashion rolling to an 18-3 technical fall at the 5:00 mark over Boilermaker Jacob Morrissey. Sophomore Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, dominated No. 12 Dylan Lydy in one of the dual's marquee match-ups, rolling to an 11-3 major with 1:45 in riding time, giving Penn State a 28-6 lead. Junior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 184, picked up Penn State's third pin with a fall at the 1:55 mark for his 10th pin of the season, putting the Nittany Lions up 34-6 Junior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 10 at 197, followed suit and grabbed Penn State's fourth pin of the evening, and his 10th of the year, with a fall over Kobe Woods at the 1:42 mark. Junior Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 8 at 285, faced No. 15 Shawn Streck in another of the dual's most anticipated match-ups. Nevills used solid defense and a third period takedown to walk away with a 4-2 win. Nevills' decision made the final score 43-6 in Penn State's favor. Penn State dominated the action, posting a 28-0 takedown advantage and picking up 16 bonus points off four pins (Retherford, Nolf, Nickal and Rasheed), a tech fall (Joseph) and two majors (Lee and Hall). The attendance figure of 6,547 marks the 38th straight sellout in Rec Hall and the 41st in the last 43 home duals, including three of five in the Bryce Jordan Center. The win moves Penn State's dual meet win streak to 39 straight, dating back to the 2014-15 season. Retherford now has 14 pins on the year and 50 for his career, just three shy of tying Penn State's all-time record of 53. Nolf also has 14 and 43 for his career, fifth all-time. Nickal has ten this season and 35 for his career, seventh all-time. Rasheed has ten this season as well and 18 for his career. Penn State moves to 8-0, 4-0 in the Big Ten while Purdue stands at 5-4, 0-3 B1G. The Nittany Lions visit Maryland in two days on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 4 p.m. Penn State's next home event is set for Friday, Jan. 26, against Minnesota. The 7 p.m. dual in Rec Hall will be a BTN live national telecast. With all home dual meets sold out, a limited number of Standing Room Only (SRO) tickets are available to select Rec Hall duals based on availability. Call 1-800-NITTANY for information or to purchase tickets. The 2017-18 Penn State wrestling season is sponsored by The Family Clothesline. Penn State Fans are encouraged to follow Penn State wrestling via twitter at @pennstateWREST, on Penn State Wrestling's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewrestling and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/pennstatewrest. This is PENN STATE. WRESTLING lives here. Results: 125: Luke Welch PUR win by forfeit / 0-6 133: Corey Keener PSU dec. Ben Thornton PUR, 3-2 / 3-6 141: #7 Nick Lee PSU maj. dec. Nate Limmex PUR, 14-4 / 7-6 149: #1 Zain Retherford PSU pinned Austin Nash PUR, WBF (1:41) / 13-6 157: #1 Jason Nolf PSU pinned Cole Wysocki PUR, WBF (3:45) / 19-6 165: #1 Vincenzo Joseph PSU TF Jacob Morrissey PUR, 18-3 (TF; 5:00) / 24-6 174: #2 Mark Hall PSU maj. dec. #12 Dylan Lydy PUR, 11-3 / 28-6 184: #1 Bo Nickal PSU pinned Max Lyon PUR, WBF (1:55) / 34-6 197: #10 Shakur Rasheed PSU pinned Kobe Woods PUR, WBF (1:42) / 40-6 285: #8 Nick Nevills PSU dec. #15 Shawn Streck PUR, 4-2 / 43-6 Attendance: 6,547 (38th straight Rec Hall sellout, 41st of 43 including 3 of 5 in BJC) Records: Penn State 8-0, 4-0 B1G; Purdue 5-4, 0-3 B1G Up Next for Penn State: at Maryland, Sunday, Jan. 21, 4 p.m. BOUT-BY-BOUT: 125: Penn State's active 125 pounders were both sick and Boilermaker Luke Welch, ranked No. 12 nationally, received a forfeit victory. 133: Senior Corey Keener (Schuylkill Haven, Pa.) faced off against Ben Thornton at 133. The duo battled evenly for the first half of the bout before Thornton tried to connect on a low single. Keener quickly fought off the move and action resumed in the center circle. Thornton stepped back from a quick Keener shot and the bout was 0-0 at the :49 mark. Keener nearly scored, stepping around Thornton with :15 left but the Boiler was able to defend the move and the bout moved to the second period tied 0-0. Thornton chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 1-0 lead. He then got in deep on a single leg and Keener spent the next minute fighting off the move, finally forcing a stalemate at with just :50 on the clock. Keener fought off another solid Thornton shot as the period ended and trailed 1-0 after two periods. Keener chose down to start the third period and quickly rolled out for an escape and a 1-1 tie. Keener got hit for a quick stall and then blazed behind the Boilermaker for the bout's first takedown. Thornton escaped quickly and Keener led 3-2 at the 1:00 mark. Thornton was called for stalling at :45, Keener continued to pressure the Boiler towards the edge of the mat. Thornton was in on a final shot and Keener killed the clock with another whizzer and Keener was able to post the 3-2 win. 141: True freshman Nick Lee (Evansville, Ind.), ranked No. 7 at 141, made his Rec Hall debut against Purdue's Nate Limmex. Lee fought off a quick Limmex shot and then got in on a high single, finishing it off for the takedown and a 2-0 lead at the 2:10 mark. Lee spent the next :48 working for a turn and building up his riding time edge before cutting Limmex loose to a 2-1 lead. Lee shot low with :15 left and worked his way to a second takedown to lead 4-1 after the opening period. Lee chose down to start the second period, worked his way around Limmex, and picked up the reversal at the 1:30 mark to lead 6-1. He then cut Limmex loose after pushing his time edge to 1:07. Limmex got in on a low single and Lee countered the shot, steadily working his way into a counter takedown for an 8-2 lead after two periods. Limmex chose down to start the third period and escaped to an 8-3 score at the 1:40 mark. Lee picked up another counter takedown and cut Limmex loose to a 10-4 lead at the 1:00 mark. Lee finished off the major with a takedown at the :40 mark, clinching his riding time point. Lee picked up another point on a stall and finished in control and, with 2:27 in riding time to post the 14-4 major. 149: Senior Zain Retherford (Benton, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 149, met Austin Nash. Retherford notched three quick takedown and cuts to lead 6-2 after just :45. He added a fourth at the 1:58 mark, cut Nash loose and then picked up a fifth takedown before the midway point of the bout. Retherford notched his sixth takedown and then turned Nash to his back for the quick pin at the 1:41 mark. 157: Junior Jason Nolf (Yatesboro, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 157, took on Cole Wysocki. The duo battled evenly for a minute before Nolf began working head snaps into control of the pace. Nolf turned a low single leg into a scramble in the middle of the mat and got the takedown to lead 2-0 with 1:05 to wrestle. He steadily worked his way into control of a cradle an spent over a minute trying to get the fall. Wysocki was able to fight off the pin and Nolf led 6-0 after one. Wysocki chose down to start the second period and Nolf let him up. The Lion quickly took him down for a takedown on the edge of the mat and then deftly turned Wysocki's shoulders to the mat for a fall at the 3:45 mark. 165: Sophomore Vincenzo Joseph (Pittsburgh, Pa.), ranked No. 1 at 165, battled Jacob Morrissey. Joseph scored quickly, taking Morrissey down for an early 2-0 lead right off the opening whistle. He then turned him for a two count and led 4-0 at the 2:15 mark. Joseph cut Morrissey loose to a 4-1 lead at the 1:50 mark and then quickly took him down again to lead 6-1. Morrissey escaped to a 6-2 Joseph lead and the Lion quickly picked up his third takedown with :50 left in the period. Leading 8-2, Joseph chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 9-2 lead. He used arm and leg control to push out to an 11-2 lead with another quick takedown and then picked up a point on a second Morrissey stall. Joseph cut the Boiler loose to a 12-3 score. He took Morrissey down once more and this time turned him to his back for four near fall points as the period ended and posted a dominating 18-3 technical fall at the 5:00 mark. 174: Sophomore Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn.), ranked No. 2 at 174, took on No. 12 Dylan Lydy. Hall nearly scored at the 1:50 mark with a fast low single but Lydy was able to maintain position and keep the bout scoreless. Hall continued to press, forcing Lydy backwards until picking up the takedown at the :42 mark to lead 2-0. Hall was hit with a locked hands call and led 2-1 after the opening stanza. He chose down to start the second period and quickly escaped to a 3-1 lead. He continued to put Lydy on his heels, forcing the Boilermaker backwards, and finally picking up a first stall warning. Hall countered a slight Lydy shot as the second period ended and led 5-1. Lydy chose down to start the third period and escaped but Hall quickly took him down, and cut him loose, to lead 7-3 with 1:20 to wrestle. Lydy stalled again, giving Hall an 8-3 lead and then a scramble ensued on the Lion logo that ended with a Hall takedown. Leading 10-3 with over 1:00 in time, Hall finished on top to post the 11-3 major. 184: Junior Bo Nickal (Allen, Texas), ranked No. 1 at 184, met Purdue freshman Max Lyon. Nickal spent the opening minute setting Lyon up in the middle of the mat. The Nittany Lion junior pressed the action and then turned a high Lion single into a takedown and a 2-0 lead. He then reset, locked up a cradle and turned Lyon to his back for the fall at the 1:55 mark. 197: Junior Shakur Rasheed (Coram, N.Y.), ranked No. 10 at 197, took on Kobe Woods. Took the Rasheed quickly the Boilermaker down for a 2-0 lead and then tacked on two back points to lead 4-0 less than :40 into the bout. After a resets, he seemed to turn Woods to his back for back points but got hit for an illegal hold and led 4-2 after a Woods escape. Rasheed used a fast underhook for a quick takedown and then turned Woods to his back for the fall at the 1:42 mark. 285: Junior Nick Nevills (Clovis, Calif.), ranked No. 8 at 285, met No. 15 Shawn Streck. The ranked duo battled evenly for over two minutes, with neither wrestler finding a solid opening to score. The first three minutes ended scoreless and action moved to the second stanza. Streck chose down to start the second period and escaped to a 1-0 lead while Nevills got hit for a stall warning. The Lion junior worked his way in on a low single but could not finish the takedown off and action resumed in neutral with Streck leading 1-0 at the 1:30 mark. Nevills shot low again and Streck countered, forcing a scramble that ended in a stalemate with :30 left in the period. Trailing 1-0, Nevills chose down to start the third period and quickly escaped to a 1-1 tie. The Lion junior continued to shoot low, working for a takedown and the lead. Streck nearly connected on a shot with 1:30 on the clock but Nevills was able to step out of trouble. He then turned a low double into a takedown in front of the Penn State bench to take a 3-1 lead. He was hit with a second stall, giving Streck a point and cutting his lead to 3-2 with 1:10 left. Needing to build up a riding time edge, Nevills worked Streck back to the mat three times to gain the time edge and work the clock down below :25. He then finished off the rideout and, with 1:24 in riding time, posted a strong 4-2 victory.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan wrestling team resumed its winning ways, cruising past No. 21 Wisconsin, 29-10, on Friday night (Jan. 19) at Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines earned seven individual wins, including the first five and four with bonus points. The dual started at heavyweight, and second-ranked graduate student Adam Coon -- ordinarily the final bout -- set the tone with a quick first-period fall against Ben Stone. After just missing on a hip-toss attempt in the opening seconds, Coon went for it again and nailed it, sticking Stone just 40 seconds into the bout. It was his eighth fall of the season. He improved to 17-0 on the year. Senior/junior Malik Amine also earned a first-period fall just before the intermission break to put an exclamation on the Wolverines' run of five straight wins, pinning Cole Martin at the 2:20 mark at 149 pounds. Amine gave up the first takedown but escaped quickly and responded with a big feet-to-back bodylock, finishing with a half for his third pin of the season. Michigan claimed all three lowerweights between the pins. Freshman Drew Mattin, ranked 13th at 125 pounds, turned the lineup over with a 6-1 decision over Johnny Jimenez. Mattin scored on an early single-leg takedown, rode out the second and added a reversal and rideout in the third to control from start to finish. Junior/sophomore Stevan Micic, ranked fifth at 133 pounds, cruised to a 13-3 major decision against Jens Lentz behind five takedowns and a four-point tilt in the third period. He improved to 7-0 in duals this season. Junior/sophomore Sal Profaci rallied from an initial deficit to beat Eli Stickley, 8-2, at 141 pounds. Profaci scored on a first-period takedown and added two sets of two-point near falls and 1:23 in riding-time advantage. The Badgers were also deducted a team point for control of the mat area late in the 141-pound bout. Wisconsin earned two wins out of the intermission before junior/sophomore Myles Amine and fifth-year senior Domenic Abounader claimed back-to-back wins at 174 and 184 pounds, respectively, to round out U-M's match wins. After a scoreless first period in the former, sixth-ranked Amine scored a reversal and rideout in the second and iced it with counter takedown in the third to secure a 6-2 decision over Ryan Christensen. Abounader, ranked fifth, cruised to a 12-1 major decision in the marquee match of the dual against ninth-ranked Ricky Robertson -- his second bonus win over the Badger this season. Abouander scored takedowns in the first and third periods but broke it open with a reversal and four-point bow and arrow in the second. The Wolverines (6-2, 3-1 Big Ten) will close out the weekend on the road Sunday (Jan. 21) traveling to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to take on Minnesota at 1 p.m. CST at Maturi Pavilion. Results: Hwt -- No. 2 Adam Coon (U-M) pinned Ben Stone, 0:40 [U-M, 6-0] 125 -- No. 14 Drew Mattin (U-M) dec. Johnny Jimenez, 6-1 [U-M, 9-0] 133 -- No. 7 Stevan Micic (U-M) major dec. Jenz Lantz, 13-3 [U-M, 13-0] 141 -- Sal Profaci (U-M) dec. Eli Stickley, 8-2 [U-M, 16-(-1)]* 149 -- Malik Amine (U-M) pinned Cole Martin, 2:20 [U-M, 22-(-1)] 157 -- Andrew Crone (UW) dec. No. 5 Alec Pantaleo, 3-0 [U-M, 22-2] 165 -- No. 6 Evan Wick (UW) tech. fall Reece Hughes, 19-3 (5:10) [U-M, 22-7] 174 -- No. 6 Myles Amine (U-M) dec. Ryan Christensen, 6-2 [U-M, 25-7] 184 -- No. 5 Domenic Abounader (U-M) major dec. No. 9 Ricky Robertson, 12-1 [U-M, 29-7] 197 -- Hunter Ritter (UW) dec. No. 11 Kevin Beazley, 3-2 [U-M, 29-10]

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga wrestling team posted a 29-15 Southern Conference win over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in Maclellan Gym tonight. It was a tight match halfway through the evening before UTC took control. Chattanooga split the first four matches, but led 11-6 thanks to bonus points. Junior Chris Debien scored a pin at 133, while senior Michael Pongracz had a tech fall at 141. "Chris Debien got his weight down and that is how Chris has to go out and wrestle," stated head coach Heath Eslinger. "When you do that, great things happen." The Mocs seemed poised to take over when junior Dylan Forzani went up 6-0 at 157. However, he got caught in a scramble in the second period and was pinned by Karsten Van Velson. "Dylan Forzani lost, but it is the best he has looked all year," said Eslinger. "It is not just about winning and losing, it is about effort. Are you getting better in the things we worked on? He got caught and it stinks, but I can live with that." Not only was UTC now trailing 12-11, but senior Chad Pyke gave up a quick takedown and was almost pinned in the opening seconds of the 165 match. He managed to fight off bonus points before falling to Nate Higgins 10-3. A forfeit at 174 put UTC back in front 17-15 in the team race and the Mocs won the last three to close out the Cougars. Senior Bryce Carr, ranked No. 15 at 184 this week, moved to 19-5 overall with an impressive first period pin. Senior Scottie Boykin had a tough bout with Christian Delaney at 197. Both Boykin (11) and Delaney (32) are listed in this week's NCAA Rankings. Boykin was steady in his match and posted a 6-3 decision to improve to 20-5. That was career win No. 88 for Boykin (88-40), passing Pat Murphy (1980-83) for No. 10 on the Mocs' all-time wins list. The most entertaining bout came at heavyweight, featuring freshman Ben Stacey. Stacey weighed in at 195, but moved up to heavyweight due to injuries for the fourth time in a dual this season. SIUE's Bryce Shewan had a couple of takedowns and took a 4-3 lead into the second period. Stacey scored a takedown of his own in the second to tie the match at 5-5. The match was tied at seven in the third when the crowd really got going. The fans went nuts when Stacey took down Shewan late in the final frame and nearly pinned him for the win. Instead he scored four backpoints to seal a 13-7 win. "Ben Stacey is what athletics should produce in young people," added Eslinger. "He is resilient, tough, great teammate, all of those things. That is what athletics is about. "That is why he is fun to coach and that is why his teammates were going crazy. He comes in every day and he does what he is supposed to do and he gets the job done. People cheer for that." Tonight was career win No. 98 for head coach Heath Eslinger (98-60 - .620) in nine seasons with the Mocs. He is an astonishing 50-4 (.926) in league duals. Up next for the Mocs is a quick trip to The Citadel. The Mocs take on the Bulldogs on Sunday, Jan. 21, at 2:00 p.m. in Charleston, S.C. Follow the action via live scoring links on the wrestling schedule page on GoMocs.com. Results: 125: Zachary Gentzler (SIE) over Alonzo Allen (CHAT) (Dec 5-4) 133: Chris Debien (CHAT) over Joe Antonelli (SIE) (Fall 0:52) 141: Mike Pongracz (CHAT) over Dakota Leach (SIE) (TF 18-0 6:01) 149: Tyshawn Williams (SIE) over Roman Boylen (CHAT) (Dec 14-8) 157: Karsten Van Velsor (SIE) over Dylan Forzani (CHAT) (Fall 4:06) 165: Nate Higgins (SIE) over Chad Pyke (CHAT) (Dec 10-3) 174: Justin Lampe (CHAT) over (SIE) (For.) 184: Bryce Carr (CHAT) over Jake Godinez (SIE) (Fall 1:54) 197: Scottie Boykin (CHAT) over Christian Dulaney (SIE) (Dec 6-3) 285: Ben Stacey (CHAT) over Bryce Shewan (SIE) (Dec 13-7)

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The Eastern Michigan University wrestling team won nine of 10 bouts on its way to a commanding 30-3 dual win over Northern Illinois University Friday evening, Jan. 19, inside the Convocation Center. It was EMU's (5-6, 1-3 MAC) first win over the Huskies since 2013. The three points were the fewest given up by Eastern in a Mid-American Conference dual since a 30-3 win over Buffalo Dec 6, 2015. In all, it was EMU's fifth win over the Huskies (2-5, 0-3 MAC) since the series began back in the 1971-72 season. Eastern only ended up with one bonus point win on the day, a pin by redshirt sophomore Sa'Derian Perry (Lakeland, Fla.-Lake Gibson), his first of the season in a dual. Redshirt freshman Tomas Gutierrez (Arvada, Colo.-Pomona) had the other big highlight, as he knocked off nationally ranked Brock Hudkins of NIU, who came into the match 19th in the country and first in the MAC. The dual started at the top with the 125 lbs. match. Gutrierrez went down 2-0 after one and then 3-0 after an escape, but he worked a huge takedown in the second to make it 3-2. In the third, he got another clutch takedown to take a 4-3 lead. After racking up over a minute of riding time, he held on for the 5-3 decision win to start things off. At 133 lbs., redshirt sophomore Noah Gonser (Grand Blanc, Mich.-Grand Blanc) started with a 3-2 lead after two periods on a takedown and escape after a reversal. In the third, Gonser escaped again and avoided any shots to take the 4-2 decision and make it 6-0 Eagles early on. Perry kept it rolling at 141 lbs. with his second pin of the season and first in dual action, to push the score to 12-0 going into 149 lbs. There, redshirt senior No. 33 Kyle Springer (New Boston, Mich.-Davenport Assumption (Indiana)) found himself needing a big comeback to get a win. Going down 7-2 early, Springer battled his way back to get it to 8-8 in the third, and then with riding time, he took a 9-8 decision to keep the shutout intact, 15-0. EMU had another close bout at 157 lbs. as redshirt sophomore J.J. Wolfe (Dakota, Ill.-Dakota) trailed 4-3 late in the third. He was able to notch an escape, and then a takedown right before the buzzer to secure a 7-5 decision, and extend the advantage further, 18-0, midway through the dual. In the 165 lbs. match, redshirt sophomore Zac Carson (Akron, Ohio-Lake) got a reversal and takedown in the second to lead it 4-2 going into the third. Another takedown in the third sealed the 7-3 decision after riding time, giving the Eagles a commanding 21-0 lead with four weight classes to go. Carson improved his overall record to 14-10 on the season, and 7-4 in duals. Redshirt freshman Andrew McNally (Uniontown, Ohio-Lake) came out of the gate hot at 174 lbs. with a takedown and near fall to lead 6-0 after one period. The score went to 6-3 into the third, where it eventually got to be tied, 8-8, but McNally had already locked in riding time. After getting cut loose, McNally got a takedown at the end to secure a 12-8 decision, and push the lead to 24-0. The Eagles continued to dominate at 184 lbs, as redshirt junior Kayne MacCallum (Green Oaks, Ill.-Libertyville) got two takedown in both the first and second to lead it 9-2 into the third. With riding time intact, MacCallum cruised to the 10-3 decision win. The shutout was broken at 197 lbs. as the Huskies got a 2-0 decision win to bring the team score to 27-3 going into heavyweight. At heavyweight, No. 21 nationally ranked redshirt senior Gage Hutchison (Buchanan, Mich.-Buchanan) wrestled another tight bout, but the strength of a pair of takedowns was enough to seal the 30-3 dual win with a 5-3 decision. Hutchison moved his team-best record to 14-4 on the season and 8-1 in duals. The Eagles remain at home but will have the next week off, getting back into action Friday, Feb. 2, when they take on the University at Buffalo. Action against the Bulls is set to begin at 7 p.m. and will be a "Beauty and the Beast" meet with the gymnastics team. Results: 125: Tomas Gutierrez (EMU) over No. 19 Brock Hudkins (NIU) (Dec 5-3) 133: Noah Gonser (EMU) over Alijah Jeffery (NIU) (Dec 4-2) 141: Sa'Derian Perry (EMU) over Anthony Rubino (NIU) (Pin 2:22) 149: No. 33 Kyle Springer (EMU) over Nolan Baker (NIU) (Dec 9-8) 157: J.J. Wolfe (EMU) over Caden McWhirter (NIU) (Dec 7-5) 165: Zac Carson (EMU) over Andrew Scott (NIU) (Dec 7-3) 174: Andrew McNally (EMU) over Quinton Rosser (NIU) (Dec 12-8) 184: Kayne MacCallum (EMU) over Bryce Gorman (NIU) (Dec 10-3) 197: Max Ihry (NIU) over Jared Langley (EMU) (Dec 2-0) HWT: No. 21 Gage Hutchison (EMU) over Caleb Gossett (NIU) (Dec 5-3)

LEWISBURG, Pa. -- The Bucknell wrestling team won seven of 10 bouts, including the final five in a row, to dispatch Harvard, 21-10, on Friday night at Davis Gym. All but one bout was decided by decision, and two required bonus time to crown a victor. With his 5-3 decision over Clifton Wang at 197, birthday boy Chad Reese ultimately sealed the win for the Bison. "It was a great match," head coach Dan Wirnsberger said. "I think we won the fight tonight, and it says a lot about our guys, our effort and our team." David Campbell (133) gave Bucknell (2-8, 1-2 EIWA) early momentum by defeating Sam Goldman, 3-1, in the first sudden victory period. Fifteen seconds into the bonus frame, the freshman tied up Goldman and brought him to the mat to bring the Davis Gym crowd to its feet. Tyler Smith (141) remained unbeaten in dual meet action, at 9-0, by scoring a commanding 8-2 victory over A.J. Jaffe. Smith, who was slotted 14th in the most recent Intermat rankings, was bolstered by a four-point near fall registered as time expired in the second period. The Crimson (2-1, 0-1 EIWA) regrouped, pulling out victories at 149 and 157 to build a 10-9 lead. D.J. Hollingshead (165) put Bucknell back on top for good, edging Tyler Tarsi, 9-6, in a back-and-forth match featuring multiple momentum swings. With 20 seconds remaining on the clock, Hollingshead scored a takedown to build what proved to be a decisive 7-5 edge. Results: 125: Nolan Hellickson (Harvard) dec. over Geo Barzona (BU) 6-0 133: David Campbell (BU) dec. over Sam Goldman (Harvard) 3-1 (SV-1) 141: #14/12/14 Tyler Smith (BU) dec. over A.J. Jaffe (Harvard) 8-2 149: Hunter Ladnier (Harvard) maj. dec. over Matthew Kolonia (BU) 12-3 157: Brock Wilson (Harvard) dec. over Andrew Millsap (BU) 3-0 165: D.J. Hollingshead (BU) dec. over Tyler Tarsi (Harvard) 9-6 174: Nick Stephani (BU) dec. over Josef Johnson (Harvard) 2-1 (TB-1) 184: Drew Phipps (BU) dec. over Kanon Dean (Harvard) 6-5 197: Chad Reese (BU) dec. over Clifton Wang (Harvard) 5-3 285: Brandon Stokes (BU) dec. over Angus Cowell (Harvard) 4-1

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Bonus points and three Big Red wins over ranked Mountain Hawk wrestlers led Cornell to a 23-14 win over EIWA archrival Lehigh on Friday evening at Friedman Wrestling Center. The 12th-ranked Big Red improved to 5-2 with the victory, while the seventh-ranked Mountain Hawks fell to 8-2. Will Koll (149) and Jon Jay Chavez (165) each knocked off ranked wrestlers and freshman Yianni Diakomihalis earned a major decision shutout of No. 13 Luke Karam at 141 pounds in the feature match. Koll was in control throughout in knocking off No. 19 Cortlandt Schuyler 4-1, followed by Chavez taking out No. 18 Gordon Wolf on the strength of a six-point first-period move en route to a 12-6 victory. Diakomihalis was never threatened in an 8-0 victory over Karam, his xx win over a ranked opponent this season. Cornell's other two freshman hammers, Max Dean at 184 and Ben Darmstadt at 197, each added bonus points in wins. Dean earned a dominant 10-1 major over Andrew Price before Darmstadt clinched the win heading into the final match with a first period fall over Jake Jakobsen. Chaz Tucker got the Big Red moving in a big way after Lehigh's defending national champion, Darian Cruz, put up a major decision at 125. Tucker earned a takedown in sudden victory over Nick Farro in a tightly-contested match that turned the tide. Tucker's overtime win triggered three consecutive Big Red wins, the final two over ranked wrestlers, that put the home team into the team lead for good. In front of a sold-out crowd, the 11-time defending EIWA champion Big Red won its second straight dual over the Mountain Hawks. The two teams are expected to jockey atop the league standings yet again when they gather for EIWAs beginning on March 3 at Hofstra. In the meantime, the Big Red will begin its search for a 16th consecutive Ivy title when it hosts Brown (1 p.m.) and Harvard (3 p.m.) at Friedman Wrestling Center on Saturday, Jan. 27. Results: 125: #3 Darian Cruz (L) won by major decision over Noah Baughman (C), 17-8 133: Chaz Tucker (C) won by decision over Nick Farro (L), 3-1 (sv1) 141: #4 Yianni Diakomihalis (C) won by major decision over #13 Luke Karam (L), 8-0 149: Will Koll (C) won by decision over #19 Cortlandt Schuyler (L), 4-1 157: Ian Brown (L) won by major decision over Adam Santoro (C), 10-1 165: Jon Jay Chavez (C) won by decision over #18 Gordon Wolf (L), 12-6 174: #5 Jordan Kutler (L) won by decision over #17 Brandon Womack (C), 4-1 184: #11 Max Dean (C) won by major decision over Andrew Price (L), 10-1 197: #6 Ben Darmstadt (C) won by fall over Jake Jakobsen (L), 2:35 285: #11 Jordan Wood (L) won by decision over Ben Honis (C), 8-3

CLEVELAND, OH - The Rider University Wrestling team defeated the Vikings of Cleveland State University, 30-6, to move to 2-0 in Eastern Wrestling League dual meet competition. Rider wrestlers winning matches on the night included Chad Walsh (Cherry Hill, NJ/Camden Catholic), Dean Sherry (Brick, NJ/Brick Township), Ethan Laird (Waterford,PA/General McLane), Mauro Correnti (Delran, NJ/Holy Cross), J.R. Wert (Christiansburg, VA/Christiansburg), Jonathan Tropea (Harrington Park, NJ/Saint Joseph [Montvale]), Tyson Dippery (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin), Gary Dinmore (Skillman, NJ/Hunterdon Central), and B.J. Clagon (Toms River, NJ/Toms River HS South). The Broncs will continue EWL competition with a dual meet at Edinboro University on Sunday, January 21st. Notes - The Broncs managed to win every contested match on the night, with their only loss being a forfeit at 184 pounds. - The Rider Wrestling Team lost one team point for bench conduct during the 149 pound match to leave the final score at 30-6. Results: 165: Chad Walsh (RID) over Georgio Poullas (CSU) - Fall 5:39 | Rider leads, 6-0 174: Dean Sherry (RID) over Gabe Stark (CSU) - 9-5 dec. | Rider leads, 9-0 184: Nick Corba (CSU) over N/A (RID) - Forfeit | Rider leads, 9-6 197: Ethan Laird (RID) over John Kelbly (CSU) - 11-2 MD | Rider leads, 13-6 285: Mauro Correnti (RID) over Collin Kelly (CSU) - 5-2 dec. | Rider leads, 16-6 125: J.R. Wert (RID) over John Martin (CSU) - 3-2 dec. | Rider leads, 19-6 133: Jonathan Tropea (RID) over Andrew Coghill (CSU) - 10-5 dec. | Rider leads, 22-6 141: Tyson Dippery (RID) over Evan Cheek (CSU) - 7-4 dec. | Rider leads, 25-6 149: Gary Dinmore (RID) over Ryan Ford (CSU) - 5-4 dec. | Rider leads, 27-6 157: B.J. Clagon (RID) over Ryan Montgomery (CSU) - 11-5 dec. | Rider wins, 30-6

Bloomington, Ind. -- Michigan State wrestling defeated Indiana in thrilling fashion on Friday night at the University Gym in Bloomington, Indiana, 18-15. A fight at every bout, the Spartans took Indiana to the wire, tied going into the last bout at heavyweight. Redshirt freshman Christian Rebottaro sealed the victory for MSU, defeating IU's Fletcher Miller, 5-2. “I'm happy for the guys. They got their first Big Ten win of the season, but the dual probably went a lot different than what I had anticipated after scouting Indiana,” Michigan State head coach Roger Chandler said. “Tonight we had five freshmen win. That takes a lot of courage when you've got a young team. Those five freshmen won the dual for us. Any time you can get a win in this conference, you've got to take it when you can. I think it'll give our guys a little bit of extra confidence going into Sunday's dual against Wisconsin.” The Hoosiers got off to a hot start, downing the Spartans in the first three matches to take a 9-0 lead. Redshirt freshman Jwan Britton came up big to light a spark for the Green and White, winning in a major decision at 149 pounds against Davey Tunon, 10-1. Britton's win marked his first career Big Ten dual win, and first major decision in dual action. Redshirt freshman Jake Tucker kept it rolling at 157, putting up a technical fall over Austin Holmes, 16-0, and tying up the team score at 9-all. Next at 165, redshirt freshman Austin Hiles shutout Dillon Hoey, 5-0, to give the Spartans their first lead of the night, 12-9. The Hoosiers claimed the next two bouts at 174 and 184, but redshirt freshman Nick May shifted the momentum at 197 with a 3-2 decision over Jake Kleimola to tie up the match again, this time at 15-all heading into the last bout. In redshirt freshman Christian Rebottaro's first match since Dec. 8, the heavyweight pulled through for Michigan State to take his first dual win of the season, 5-2, in a hard-fought triumph over IU's Fletcher Miller. “That shows growth,” Chandler said. “For Christian to go out there with the dual meet on the line, and he hasn't been in the lineup since early December - he fought through it and kept his composure and battled until the end. The thing that sticks out was last year, Christian told Coach Wynn (Michalak) ‘I don't like not being in the starting lineup. I don't like this redshirt year. I can't wait to be in the lineup so I can be the anchor for this team.' So, he followed through on his words and that's a big positive growth moment for him.” The Spartans have a quick turnaround, returning home to host No. 21 Wisconsin on Sunday, Jan. 21 at 1 p.m. at Jenison Field House. Bout-By-Bout: 125: Elijah Oliver (IU) dec. Rayvon Foley (MSU), 11-8 Oliver took an early 4-0 lead with a takedown and two-point nearfall, but Foley got his first point on the board off an escape midway through the first period. The Hoosiers added two more with a takedown, and Foley logged a second escape point. In the second frame, Foley got the quick escape to start off, cutting Oliver's lead to 6-3. Oliver was awarded a point going into the third for a caution on Foley, and added another with an escape. Foley got his first takedown of the match in the stanza, though Oliver escaped and built a 9-5 lead. The Spartan was awarded a point for stalling from Oliver, but the Hoosier responded with a takedown. Foley added two more points, but it wasn't enough in an extremely hard-fought match, and Oliver took the decision, 11-8. 133: Garrett Pepple (IU) dec. Matt Santos (MSU), 6-2 The first period ended in a stalemate, but Pepple got on the board first in the second frame with a stalemate? Escape?. After racking up riding time, Pepple scored two points in the third with a takedown. Santos fought off Pepple by getting a reversal late in the period, but Pepple notched the escape point. With riding time, Pepple finished with a 6-2 decision. 141: No. 20 Cole Weaver (IU) dec. Javier Gasca (MSU), 2-1 In the first period, Gasca and Weaver ended in a stalemate. Weaver got an escape point to start off the second and held on going into the third. Gasca fought back in the third, getting tying it up with an escape point, but Weaver had the riding time advantage and won by decision, 2-1. 149: Jwan Britton (MSU) maj. dec. Davey Tunon (IU), 10-1 Neither Britton nor Tunon scored in the first frame. Britton racked up riding time in the second, and got a two-point nearfall to put the first points of the match on the board. Tunon recorded an escape point, cutting Britton's lead to 2-1. Britton escaped to start off the third, and gained control over Tunon with a takedown. Adding four more points with a nearfall, and holding on to the riding time advantage, Britton got the 10-1 major decision over Tunon for MSU's first bout-win of the night. 157: Jake Tucker (MSU) tech. fall Austin Holmes (IU), 16-0 Tucker scored a two-point takedown early in the first, adding a four-point nearfall shortly after. Tucker jumped out to a 12-0 lead with six more nearfall points, with over two minutes of riding time at the end of the stanza. In the second, Tucker continued his dominance and shutout Holmes to finish with a technical fall, 16-0. 165: Austin Hiles (MSU) dec. Dillon Hoey (IU), 5-0 Hiles got the first point of the match in the second period with an escape, and late in the period Hiles added two with a takedown. In the third, Hiles garnered riding time and didn't let up on Hoey. A point was awarded to Hiles after an illegal hold from Hoey, and Hiles got the 5-0 decision with riding time. 174: No. 19 Devin Skatzka (IU) dec. Logan Ritchie (MSU), 4-1 Skatzka scored early in the first frame with a two-point takedown, though Ritchie escaped to cut the lead to 2-1. Ritchie fought off a takedown from Skatzka late in the first, but Skatza escaped early in the second after beginning the period down. Skatzka added riding time in the third period, and took the decision 4-1. 184: Norman Conley (IU) dec. Shwan Shadaia (MSU), 3-2 Conley got the first points of the match with a takedown, but Shadaia responded with an escape to cut Conley's lead to 2-1 going into the second. Conley added another point with an escape in the middle frame, and Shadaia took the escape point to begin the third period. Shadaia battled as the seconds ticked down in the third, but Conley slipped away with the 3-2 decision to give Indiana back the lead. 197: Nick May (MSU) dec. Jake Kleimola (IU), 3-2 Kleimola took a shot, but May responded and got the two points with a takedown. Kleimola scored an escape to record his first point and the period ended, 2-1. Kleimola started down in the second and May started to accumulate riding time, but Kleimola escaped to tie the match up at 2-all. May started down in the third, and got the escape point to take a 3-2 lead. May held on to take the 3-2 decision for his first Big Ten dual win. HWT: Christian Rebottaro (MSU) dec. Fletcher Miller (IU), 5-2 After the first period, Rebottaro and Miller were scoreless, but Miller got the first point of the bout with an escape in the second stanza. In the third, Rebottaro tied it up at 1-all with an escape. After a review, Rebottaro got a two-point takedown and though Miller escaped, Rebottaro added another takedown and finished the third with a thrilling 5-2 victory. Results: 125: Elijah Oliver (IU) dec. Rayvon Foley (MSU), 11-8. IU leads, 3-0. 133: Garrett Pepple (IU) dec. Matt Santos (MSU), 6-2. IU leads, 6-0. 141: No. 20 Cole Weaver dec. Javier Gasca (MSU), 2-1. IU leads, 9-0. 149: Jwan Britton (MSU) maj. dec. Davey Tunon (IU), 10-1. IU leads, 9-4. 157: Jake Tucker (MSU) tech. fall Austin Holmes (IU), 16-0. Tied, 9-9. 165: Austin Hiles (MSU) dec. Dillon Hoey (IU), 5-0. MSU leads, 12-9. 174: No. 19 Devin Skatzka (IU) dec. Logan Ritchie (MSU), 4-1. Tied, 12-12. 184: Norman Conley (IU) dec. Shwan Shadaia (MSU), 3-2. IU leads, 15-12. 197: Nick May (MSU) dec. Jake Kleimola (IU), 3-2. Tied, 15-15. HWT: Christian Rebottaro (MSU) dec. Fletcher Miller (IU), 5-2. MSU wins, 18-15.

EDINBORO, Pa. -- A major decision from Zack Zavatsky at 184 pounds and a first period fall from Jared Haught at 197 lifted No. 10 Virginia Tech to a 20-15 win over Edinboro on Friday evening. The Hokies (9-2) trailed 12-10 entering 184 pounds but Zavatsky responded with a 10-2 major decision. It marked Zavatsky's seventh consecutive bonus point victory going back to Tech's dual with Princeton on Dec. 10. With Tech now leading 14-12, Haught followed with a pin in 1:34 that clinched the match, 20-12. It marked the fastest win in Haught's career and the fastest time since picking up a fall in 1:35 as a redshirt sophomore. The Fighting Scots took the first two bouts before redshirt freshman Brent Moore grinded out a 2-1 decision to put the Hokies on the board. Ryan Blees continued his tear at 149 pounds as he posted an 18-4 major decision to give the Hokies their fist lead in the dual, 7-6. Tech would drop the bouts at 157 and 174 but David McFadden kept the Hokies in striking distance with a 14-8 decision at 165. The Hokies return to action on Sunday at 2 p.m. with their ACC opener against Pitt. Results: 125: #11 Sean Russell (Edinboro) dec. Kyle Norstrem (Virginia Tech), 11-5 133: #18 Korbin Myers (Edinboro) dec. #13 Dennis Gustafson (Virginia Tech), 6-4 141: Brent Moore (Virginia Tech) dec. Nate Hagan (Edinboro), 2-1 149: Ryan Blees (Virginia Tech) MD Peter Pappas (Edinboro), 18-4 157: Andrew Shomers (Edinboro) dec. B.C. LaPrade (Virginia Tech), 6-2 165: #4 David McFadden (Virginia Tech) dec. Fritz Hoehn (Edinboro), 14-8 174: Ty Schoffstall (Edinboro) dec. Cody Hughes (Virginia Tech), 9-8 184: #8 Zack Zavatsky (Virginia Tech) MD Zach Ancewicz, 10-2 197: #2 Jared Haught (Virginia Tech) WBF Aaron Paddock, 1:34 285: #14 Billy Miller dec. #18 Andrew Dunn (Virginia Tech), 3-2

DURHAM, N.C. -- The sixth-ranked NC State wrestling team won eight of the 10 bouts, and started ACC action with a 32-6 win at Duke Friday night. The Wolfpack (11-1) won the first six bouts to jump out to a 24-0 lead, and had four bonus point wins on the night against the Blue Devils (2-4). The teams drew and the dual started at 125 pounds. So. Tommy Cox started the Pack with a 6-3 decision at 125 pounds. After falling behind in the first, Cox scored a reversal in the second and added a takedown in the third for the win. No. 26 R-Fr. Tariq Wilson picked up the first bonus point win of the night, scoring a first period pin at 133 pounds. On his third takedown of the period, Wilson secured a cradle and the pin at the 2:35 mark. No. 2 Sr. Kevin Jack made quick work of his opponent, scoring a second period tech fall. Jack scored two four-point near falls in the first, and a two-point near fall in the second brought the final to 15-0. No. 13 R-Sr. Beau Donahue made it three straight bonus point wins, taking a 14-4 decision at 149 pounds. In a battle of top-11 foes, No. 3 Hayden Hidlay scored a 10-5 win over No. 11 Mitch Finesilver at 157 pounds. Hidlay scored a takedown with a headlock, and turned it into a four-point near fall in the first. At the intermission, NC State lead 21-0. No. 28 R-Sr. Brian Hamann scored a first period takedown and a four-point near fall at the end of the period for a 6-3 win at 165 pounds. After a Duke win at 174 pounds, No. 3 R-Sr. Pete Renda scored three four-point near falls during his bout at 184 pounds, and ended his match with an 18-1 tech fall in the second period. No. 3 R-Sr. Michael Macchiavello controlled his bnout with three takedowns and took a 7-3 decision at 197 pounds. Duke closed with a win at 285 pounds in a close battle that came down to the final minute, but R-Jr. Malik McDonald fell to No. 5 Jacob Kasper after building a 6-1 lead. Up Next: The Wolfpack will be in home action next weekend, as NC State will host ACC rival Virginia next Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in Reynolds Coliseum. Results: 125: Tommy Cox (NCSU) dec. Thayer Atkins; 6-3 – 3-0 133: #26 Tariq Wilson (NCSU) fall Josh Finesilver; 2:35 – 9-0 141: #2 Kevin Jack (NCSU) tech fall Jeremiah Reitz; 15-0 – 14-0 149: #13 Beau Donahue (NCSU) Major dec. Brandon Leynaud; 14-4 – 18-0 157: #3 Hayden Hidlay (NCSU) dec. #11 Mitch Finesilver; 10-5 – 21-0 165: #28 Brian Hamann (NCSU) dec. Zach Finesilver; 6-3 – 24-0 174: #27 Matt Finesilver (DU) dec. #19 Daniel Bullard; 8-5 – 24-3 184: #3 Pete Renda (NCSU) tech fall Kaden Russell; 18-1 – 29-3 197: #3 Michael Macchiavello (NCSU) dec. Alec Schenk; 7-3 – 32-3 285: #5 Jacob Kasper (DU) dec. Malik McDonald; 8-6 – 32-6

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- No. 13 Ethan Ramos returned to the mat after a six-week injury layoff and scored a 14-5 major decision over Will Schany at 174 pounds to help No. 25 North Carolina to a 24-15 win over Virginia Friday night at Memorial Gym. No. 18 Chip Ness added a technical fall at 184 to put the Tar Heels ahead for good in the ACC opener for both schools. No. 17 Danny Chaid and Cory Daniel made it four straight wins to close out the dual for Carolina (7-8, 1-0 ACC), who also got wins from No. 18 A.C. Headlee, No. 5 Troy Heilmann and No. 17 Kennedy Monday in taking seven of the 10 bouts on the night. Ramos and Schany were actually scoreless after one period before the redshirt senior from Hawthorne, New Jersey, went to work. A pair of takedowns and an escape gave him a 5-1 lead after two periods, and Ramos added four more takedowns and a point for riding time to secure the 14-5 major decision. Ness ended his win over Michael Battista 44 seconds into the final period for his eighth straight victory. The redshirt junior narrowly missed a first-period pin but still picked up bonus points for the fourth time since Christmas. Ness, Chaid and Daniel are now a combined 33-9 on the year in dual competition, and when combined with a healthy Ramos, form a formidable back end of the lineup. The middle of the lineup has been pretty stout as well, and that's where Carolina turned things around on Friday. Virginia (3-6, 0-1) got a dream start with back-to-back pins at 125 and 133 before Headlee got the Tar Heels on the board with a 4-2 win over Sam Martino. Heilmann improved to 23-3 on the year and 13-2 in duals with a matching 4-2 decision over Sam Krivus at 149. The win was Heilmann's fourth in a row and his second in as many seasons over Krivus. Monday won a high-scoring 10-7 decision over Fred Green at 157 before Virginia got its final win of the night, a 5-1 decision from Andrew Atkinson at 165. Carolina returns to the mat next Friday when the Tar Heels host Pitt at Carmichael Arena. Results: 125: #15 Louie Hayes (UVA) pinned James Szymanski (UNC), 4:06 - UVA leads 6-0 133: #6 Jack Mueller (UVA) pinned Zach Sherman (UNC), 6:52 - UVA leads 12-0 141: #18 A.C. Headlee (UNC) dec. Sam Martino (UVA), 4-2 - UVA leads 12-3 149: #5 Troy Heilmann (UNC) dec. Sam Krivus (UVA), 4-2 - UVA leads 12-6 157: #17 Kennedy Monday (UNC) dec. Fred Green (UVA), 10-7 - UVA leads 12-9 165: Andrew Atkinson (UVA) dec. Clay Lautt (UNC), 5-1 - UVA leads 15-9 174: #13 Ethan Ramos (UNC) maj. dec. Will Schany (UVA), 14-5 - UVA leads 15-13 184: #18 Chip Ness (UNC) tech fall Michael Battista (UVA), 17-2 (5:44) - UNC leads 18-15 197: #17 Danny Chaid (UNC) dec. Jay Aiello (UVA), 9-3 - UNC leads 21-15 285: Cory Daniel (UNC) dec. Tyler Love (UVA), 2-0 - UNC wins 24-15

Joey Davis (Photo/Bellator) After going 133-0 on the wrestling mats for Notre Dame College, going 3-0 in MMA might not seem like a big deal for Joey Davis. However, at this moment, that is his goal. The four-time NCAA Division II champion will return to Bellator for his third professional fight on Saturday night at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. At Bellator 192, he will take on Ian Butler on the preliminary card. Davis seemed like a natural candidate to transition into MMA after his college wrestling career. In 2014, he spoke to InterMat about being a fan of fighters like Jose Aldo and Urijah Faber. He even talked about a personal friendship with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who will headline the card on Saturday night. Davis was well prepared for the new sport, and so far, the transition has not surprised him. "There's nothing that I didn't expect, because I had mentors that are in the game like Antonio McKee," Davis said. "He was my coach ever since I was a kid. Becoming a professional athlete was just something that I always wanted to do." Despite the move seeming like the obvious evolution of his athletic career, Davis was not sure he was going to transition into MMA. During his college career, he competed in freestyle in the summers and even challenged NCAA champion Alex Dieringer in a freestyle match at the 2016 Beat the Streets event. Making a run at the world team was not out of the question, but he ultimately decided to give MMA a shot. "I didn't know I was going to go into MMA. I was just trying to get my degree and be a coach someday, but there's isn't enough money to do that." Davis continued, "I wanted to have that rockstar life. I wanted to be the Odell Beckham of wrestling … I still get calls from Jordan Burroughs and other wrestlers that are like, 'Man, I wish I could do what do you did.'" Davis made the decision to try MMA shortly after he won his fourth NCAA title. He was sitting at McKee's house when a fax came through. "I didn't have time to be like, 'I don't know if I can do it. I don't know, because I have to go back to school.' You only have a small opportunity to turn pro," Davis said. "Wrestling wants you to be so humble, and it is like boring. I kind of grew out of that, and MMA gave me the platform I have today." While Davis is excited about the platform that an MMA career offers, he has no regrets about his wrestling career. Over the years, some have wondered how he would have performed at the Division I level instead of the lower division. Davis does not couch his career accomplishments in those terms. "I had a tremendous career at Division II. I don't really think there is much difference in the wrestling," Davis said. "I know you all give Division I the best platform, but I am happy with where I was. I had a tremendous career, and I made history. Nobody has done what I have done in Division II. That is why God put me there, because nobody has done it except for me. To go undefeated for four years, there's only three people to do it ever: Cael Sanderson, Joey Davis, Marcus LeVesseur. No more people." Davis seems equally content with his current situation. The 24-year-old fighter is currently training at Team Bodyshop with fellow Bellator competitors Kevin "Baby Slice" Ferguson, cadet world champion Aaron Pico and his cousin A.J. McKee. "It's just cool, man, because you get to make money and fight, and you don't have to do a whole bunch of wrestling matches," Davis explained. "You get to do one tough fight, and you get paid. It is cool. I am happy." If Davis continues his run of success in Bellator, he will likely receive more calls from wrestlers looking for advice about the transition into MMA. Even though he stresses that he is more than satisfied with his career move, he doesn't think it is the right choice for everyone. "I tell them to stay away. I don't want any man fighting for money. Everybody can't do what I do. This is crazy man." Davis concluded, "I am going to keep it one hundred, I tell them stay away."

Blair Academy's Andrew Mereola defeated Wyoming Seminary's Jake Hendricks in the semifinals of the Walsh Ironman (Photo/Sam Janicki) Though no longer occupants of the top position in the InterMat Fab 50 national high school team rankings, now No. 2 Blair Academy (N.J.) is still in hold of the proverbial keys to the national title for any team other than current No. 1 Bergen Catholic (N.J.). Due to how the rest of the season plays out, and also how teams have performed season-to-date, Friday night's dual meet with No. 3 Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) traveling to Blair Academy has an absolutely crucial role in how the top spot in the national rankings will appear going forward. Should Blair Academy win this dual meet, the top spot is likely to be exclusively the domain of the Buccaneers or Bergen Catholic until at minimum the National Prep Championships. On the other hand, if the Blue Knights were to win, things could get very interesting with Bergen Catholic and No. 4 Montini Catholic (Ill.) traveling to Wyoming Seminary one week from Saturday as part of a multi-team dual meet event. Below is an overview of the projected matchups for what -- at least on paper -- projects to be a most excellent and very close dual meet. It should be noted that this is technically a National Prep dual meet, so teams could opt to use a wrestler that would otherwise not be eligible for a high school contest (i.e. a fifth-year, reclassified senior, or a post-graduate). 106: No. 10 Ryan Miller (B) vs. Tim Levine (WS) These two wrestlers met in the round of 16 with Miller securing a pin at the 4:51 mark. Miller went on to finish runner-up at that tournament, while placing fifth at the Beast and winning Geary in subsequent events. The sophomore Levine qualified for state last year in California, and was a Junior National freestyle All-American at 100 pounds this summer. After missing placement by two matches at the Ironman, he would finish third at the Powerade. 113: No. 2 Trevor Mastrogiovanni (B) vs. Nic Botello (WS) Returning National Prep champion Mastrogiovanni is one of the nation's best overall sophomores, and on the season has titles at the Ironman and Geary to his credit, while finishing runner-up to two-time Cadet world champion Kurt McHenry at the Beast. Fellow sophomore Botello missed placement at the Ironman by two matches, finished fifth at the Powerade, and upset now national No. 14 Kyle Ryder to win the Eastern States Classic. 120: No. 2 Michael Colaiocco (B) vs. Zeke Escalera (WS) Two-time Junior National freestyle All-American has won all three of the major tournaments this season in which Blair has competed, with his only loss coming 4-3 to Cadet world team member Robert Howard this past weekend. Cadet freestyle champion Escalera did not place at the Ironman, but came back to place third at the Powerade with three wins over returning Pennsylvania state placers. 126: No. 9 Chris Cannon (B) vs. No. 2 Beau Bartlett (WS) Both wrestlers in this match are highly credentialed, with two-time National Prep champ Cannon finishing as runner-up at the UWW Cadet National freestyle tournament last spring; while Bartlett won the Ironman and National Preps last year as a freshman. Cannon missed the first month of this season before coming back to win a title at Geary, but losing the crucial opening match against Bergen Catholic via a totally unexpected fall this past weekend; while Barlett placed third at Ironman before beating a pair of previously undefeated wrestlers for their career to win the Powerade, and then winning at Eastern States this past weekend. 132: No. 20 Travis Mastrogiovanni (B) vs. No. 5 Carson Manville (WS) The younger Mastrogiovanni is one of the best overall freshmen in the country, finishing as a Cadet freestyle All-American this summer. He spent December down at 126, where he finished fifth at the Ironman and third at the Beast; moving up into this weight class, he won a title at Geary. On the other hand, Manville is the nation's best overall freshman, finishing as runner-up at the UWW Cadet freestyle nationals last spring and sweeping his way to double Cadet National titles in Fargo during the summer. Manville was champion at the Powerade with an upset over No. 1 Joey Silva in the final, while finishing fourth at the Ironman, both losses narrow in margin to top five opposition. 138: Malcolm Robinson (B) vs. No. 14 Jack Davis (WS) This pair of wrestlers met head-on at the Ironman in the consolation quarterfinal, Davis winning an 8-3 decision on the way to finishing fifth, while Robinson slid back to finish eighth. Entering the season as a top 100 overall senior, it's been a disappointing one for Robinson; additional tournament places were sixth at the Beast and a runner-up at Geary to sophomore Luke Surber, along with the upset loss to Wade Unger in last weekend's dual meet defeat against Bergen Catholic. After Ironman, Davis would go on to finish runner-up at Powerade, while winning the Eastern States event down at 132 (Manville was out of the lineup). 145: Mike Madara (B) vs. Connor Kievman (WS) The next two weight classes represent two of the three matches in this dual meet where neither competitor is nationally. This strikes in comparison to the four where both wrestlers are ranked. Two-time National Prep placer Madara spend the December competing in the 132-pound weight class, where he failed to place at either the Ironman or the Beast; in this weight class he finished fourth at Geary. It should be noted that Madara and Robinson both weighed in at 138 last week, with Robinson wrestling at 145 against Bergen Catholic and Madara at this weight in the other two matches. The sophomore Kievman has failed to place in his team's three major competitions this season (1-2 at Ironman, 3-2 at Powerade, consolation round of 12 at Eastern States). 152: Will Kaiser (B) vs. Benny Baker (WS) Both wrestlers in this projected matchup placed fifth last year at the National Prep tournament, Kaiser at 145 and Baker at 138. Kaiser missed placement at the Ironman by one match before finishing eighth at the Beast and winning Geary; in addition, he upset three-time state placer Gerard Angelo in the Bergen Catholic dual meet last weekend. Baker did not wrestle in the Ironman, talented freshman Cole Rees did, and he was two matches from placing; since entering the lineup, Baker was fifth at the Powerade and missed placement at Eastern States by one match. 160: No. 5 Andrew Merola (B) vs. No. 18 Jake Hendricks (WS) This pair of Ivy League bound seniors met in the semifinal round at the Ironman with Merola picking up the 2-0 decision. Cornell bound Merola went on to finish runner-up at that event, and also at Geary, while he won the title at the Beast. Penn bound Hendricks finished fourth at the Ironman and fifth at Powerade. Merola was a National Prep champion in this weight last year, while Hendricks placed fifth up at 170. 170: No. 5 Julian Ramirez (B) vs. Jake Stefanowicz (WS) This match and the one at 220 are probably the biggest mismatches in the whole dual meet, both happening to work in favor of Blair Academy. One of the nation's best overall juniors, Ramirez placed third at the Ironman before winning titles at the Beast (avenging that Ironman semifinal loss) and at Geary; while Stefanowicz went 1-2 at the Ironman, but has bounced back to place seventh at Powerade and sixth at Eastern States. 182: No. 10 Leo Tarantino (B) vs. No. 17 Darrien Roberts (WS) Though the pair of wrestlers did not meet at the Ironman, they had four matches against common opposition. Both wrestlers were able to muster what at the time was viewed as a 3-1 upset victory over Ryan Karoly, each also beat Blake Wilson (Cincinnati LaSalle, Ohio), and each lost to eventual champion A.J. Ferrari (Tarantino in the final, Roberts in the quarterfinal); while Tarantino beat nationally ranked Victor Marcelli 6-3 in the quarterfinal, with Roberts losing 7-2 in the consolation final. Since the Ironman, Tarantino won titles at the Beast and Geary, though Jacob Cardenas avenged his loss from the Beast final this past weekend; while Roberts placed third at the Powerade, including an upset victory over Super 32 Challenge champion Cody Mulligan in the consolation final. Both wrestlers placed third at National Preps last year, Tarantino at 170 and Roberts at 160. 195: Peyton Craft (B) vs. No. 16 Austin Cooley (WS) These two wrestlers were both in the fifth-place match at the Ironman, though Cooley had to default due to an injury sustained during his consolation semifinal bout. Subsequent to the Ironman, the freshman Craft placed third at both the Beast and Geary; while Cooley was fourth at the Powerade and beat a nationally ranked opponent to win the Eastern States Classic. 220: No. 12 Owen Trephan (B) vs. Matthew Doggett (WS) The junior Trephan placed third at the Ironman, second at the Beast, before winning the title at Geary. Doggett missed placement at the Ironman by one match before finishing seventh at Powerade and third at Eastern States. The one common opponent these two wrestlers had was Junior National freestyle All-American Antonio McCloud; Trephan beat McCloud twice at the Ironman (quarterfinal, consolation final), while McCloud pinned Doggett in the consolation match to place. 285: Kraig Correll (B) vs. Anthony Cutrie (WS) The senior Correll missed placing at the Ironman by one match, failed to place at the Beast, and was fifth at Geary; while fellow senior Cutrie, a New York state qualifier last year, placed fourth at the Ironman and finished second at Eastern States. Yet again, the nature of a dual meet providing the platform for a pair of relatively unheralded wrestlers to possibly partake in a high leverage bout.

One of the busiest weeks in mailbag history with more than two dozen readers around the country sending in questions. Let's get right to it. To your questions … Mark Hall vs. Bo Jordan is an anticipated matchup when PSU battles Ohio State (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: Can you think of any other dual meet in the past 50 years that rivals the upcoming Ohio State at Penn State dual? Out of the 20 wrestlers expected to compete: 8 have won NCAA titles 5 have won age group World medals 15 are ranked in the top ten, with 2 more ranked in the top fifteen 12 have already achieved All-American status 184 pounds features two NCAA champions competing against each other One wrestler is the reigning Olympic champ The past seven NCAA Championships have been one by one of these two teams. Both teams are heavy favorites to finish in the top 2 at NCAAs this season, with the runner-up most likely shattering the record for the most points for an NCAA second-place team The fact that the match is in Rec Hall, thereby assuring a hostile environment of 6,150 Penn State fans compared to about 50 Ohio State fans only adds to the epic nature of the battle. As a fan of wrestling, I'm so happy that both teams feature an entertaining style with wrestlers who emphasize offense and putting points on the board throughout the match. What a showcase for our great sport! Can you think of a better, more entertaining two hours of wrestling than the potential that this dual features? -- DD Foley: I'm not sure we need to test history to scale the most anticipated and (quasi) consequential wrestling matches of the season. Penn State and Ohio State are teeming with technical, aggressive wrestlers with absolute belief in their ability to dominate opponents. So what does happen when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? While dramatic, the dual would benefit from increased stakes. As media-friendly a matchup as this is within the wrestling community, there is no impact on the NCAA team race whatsoever. No team seeds to be determined, or jockeying to be had. This is an up-and-down contest, that'll be remembered as exceptional, but otherwise of no lasting consequence. The wrestling community talks a lot about breaking into the mainstream in a meaningful way. For many, the stated goal is to make the dual season matter more and in doing so hook in larger media forces and drive college sports fans (with overarching tribal commitments) to watch their beloved institutions. Arguments against the system in part pivot on the idea that the individual tournament is too valuable, dual meets can be decided by irregularities, and a general apathy towards serious change. Now the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country are set to face each other and the larger sports audience can't be convinced to care because the match has zero impact on the team race. The individual championships are a wonderful weekend of wrestling, but why should the sport have only one weekend of competition to lure in fans from around the nation? Why can't we see the race build up in a team-oriented construct? The NCAA basketball bracket is popular in part because it takes four weeks to execute and has clearly defined teams and paths. The football series means that most games matter. The NCAA wrestling tournament has almost no build-up and its only real tradition is that it happens to fall near St. Patrick's Day. When you watch the match, try to think about what viewership number might be if the NCAA team title was somehow being influenced by the outcome of the match. Q: This past week I got a chance to watch the Oklahoma State vs. Iowa match, which was fairly entertaining, if nothing else, due to the amount of ranked wrestlers. Admittedly, I don't get a chance to watch much of Oklahoma State prior to the NCAAs. I'm a PSU fan so I mainly see Big Ten wrestling, but wow there are a lot of Oklahoma State guys who are kind of painful to watch due to inaction and complacency when leading. I get that other schools do this, but Oklahoma State? They're supposed to be premiere. Anyway, the match Dean Heil won was just the epitome of it. He could be a three-time national champ and seems to never win by more than a few points. Just compare his action and points scored to any other three-time champ and I'm sure it's just terrible. How can this be fixed? More stall calls? A shot clock? -- Ryan P. Foley: Coach Smith has said his Oklahoma State squad was less than impressive in their dual meet loss against Iowa. Like you witnessed, the team was sluggish, wrestling on their heels and only edging out victories. The Oklahoma State model has never been to run up points on opponents, but I agree with you that the match showcased little of the zing and punch we are used to seeing from Cowboy wrestlers. College wrestling features a complicated rule set that heavily favors CONTROL over TECHNIQUE with action further being suffocated by and out-of-bounds rule with almost no mooring in logic and with no equivalency in sport (wrestling or ball-based). Where else in sport is the out-of-bounds controlled by the pinky toe of one athlete. That rule is asinine. Out of bounds and control-based rules are what causes nights like you witnessed, where a sluggish team hangs around and edges out some wins but otherwise phones in their effort. The rules don't force action. Some of the boredom you witnessed also stems from the riding time point, which was instituted in an effort to reward top wrestling in the hopes of seeing more falls. Well, NCAA wrestling and freestyle wrestling have similar rates of falls and there is very little done to encourage top wrestling outside of making wrestlers return to their feet after 10-12 seconds of inaction on the mat. In my opinion, wrestling would see a dramatic increase in meaningful scoring if they made out of bounds actually out of bounds, took away riding time, and returned wrestlers to neutral if there was no threat of back points in 20 seconds. (Call it 'riding time' except you are given a standard amount of time to work before being brought back to your feet and there is no incentive to stay on top.) So, simple question with a long answer, but I think that the college wrestling rules are broken at a fundamental level. Too much gamesmanship, not enough action. Q: Why do you think so many American fans think taking shots and failing to score is a reason to award that wrestler? -- Matt C. Foley: Because they grew up watching Iowa Public Television dual meets where 10,000 fans screamed "STALLING!" the moment a wrestler in a black singlet took a drop step. It's true. That's the reason. It's burned in our collective psyche that pressure, position and half shots are signs of aggressive wrestling. But by the way, much the same can be said of Greco-Roman fans in European countries who love yelling "PASSIVE" just because their wrestler is pushing and blocking off. Different cause, but same result. Q: What are your thoughts on Final X? -- Scott M. Foley: Well, if you haven't seen the back-and-forth between Xander Schultz and the Flo Bros then you're really missing out! Lots of heat. There is no question that Final X was born out of PROWL. Is it better than what PROWL had planned? Worse? I think that you'll find a multitude of opinions from wrestlers and those who had insight on PROWL. Overall, I think that the idea to create a team selection broken into three events was bold and will prove to generate much more interest in the sport, both in the locations where they are being hosted and in the national press. The local ties will bring out many more fans than we are used to seeing in Las Vegas or other neutral locations. As for pay, I'm not a professional wrestler, but overall the American wrestlers have it pretty OK in terms of payments to participate in a non-headlining sport. I meet with international wrestlers all year long and the large majority of them have absolutely zero support. Zero. Remember Turtogtokh of The Citadel? He returned to Mongolia to try out for their national team. Last week he won a spot at 92 kilograms and will compete at the Asian Championships in Bishkek. Know how much he has been paid to train over the last four years? Zero. Olympic silver medalist and world champion Zhan Beleniuk has made less than $50,000 for his titles and lives with his mom in an 800-square foot apartment in Kiev. Team USA is very, very fortunate to have the national team funding, support of patrons, sponsoring clubs, clinic schedules and college coaching opportunities to make a living. Of course, I would like to see all of our wrestlers making more money, but it's important to keep some perspective on their relative wealth as compared to other nations around the world. America is doing more than alright. I think Final X is a start in terms of promoting the sport and providing an increase in winnings to some of the winners. All the rest of the drama you can read about on Twitter. Q: I heard some speculation that Seth Gross may bump up and wrestle Bryce Meredith this week. I think this is a great idea. I never believed in protecting an undefeated record, and bumping up to face a top guy can really help. If Gross loses, the pressure of being undefeated is off at NCAAs and I think it helps his chances of winning an national title. If he wins and goes undefeated, more evidence he could win the Hodge. Thoughts? -- Dave, NY Foley: I was looking at the statistics for the wrestler being considered for a Hodge trophy; did you know that Zain Train is 16-0 with 13 pins, 2 techs and 1 major decision? Should he keep up that pace I'm not sure we need much more of a discussion regarding the winner of the Hodge. Seth Gross bumping up is good theater and a smart decision by the coaching staff to stretch their wrestler's toughness before arriving in Cleveland. I know that the comparison isn't one-to-one due to the threat of submissions, but jiu-jitsu fighters are constantly rolling with athletes many times heavier, and winning with some regularity. Eight pounds may seem significant, but I don't think it should always be the first item mentioned when discussing the overall outcome of the match. Helen Maroulis (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Q: How surprised were you that Helen Maroulis took a loss in India's pro wrestling league? -- Mike C. Foley: Very surprised. Pooja hasn't been in competition since 2014 and from the articles I read today had been more or less sidelined since a knee injury in 2015. The match is below, but Pooja scored from a funky position early, impressing with her mat and body awareness. The clincher came at the start of the second when Pooja hit a beautiful high-level double leg for four points. India is tricky. While no loss is good, I'm not shocked, if only because the level of competition inside India is world-class and the country can be a big adjustment for Americans in terms of diet, time zone and general culture shock. MULTIMEDIA HALFTIME Sally Roberts and "Wrestle Like a Girl" Helen Maroulis loses in India Q: Longtime lover of your Friday mailbag. Love how you often blast double (to the great chagrin of many readers) issues of injustice and bigotry. As a wrestler this presidency has brought to light the hateful views of many of my long time "friends." Thoughts on handling this? -- @terpteets Foley: I recently read an apology post from a well-known colleague in the Olympic movement who expressed regret airing his opinions about Trump and recent racist remarks. The apology post essentially said that he'd failed to keep a promise to himself to keep his keyboard silent and that the original post had cost him a friendship of 30-plus years. For the most part, we know who amongst our friends and colleagues are in support of which politicians. Ninety-nine percent of the time confronting the vocal crowd is pointless unless you try real engagement ("explain to me what you mean by x,y,z") since that has been shown to be the effective in triggering self-reflection in others. Most of us are just caught in an echo chamber, clamoring to be heard by others of our ideology and tribe. It's a want to belong and feel OK about your position, which is understandable. Listening to a friend defend the ideals of white supremacy doesn't make you a white supremacist, but it will provide the clarity you need to decide whether or not to listen to their advice in your time of need, or to allow them to watch your children. And that's where I am on the matter. The only place I think we need to be more cautions with our handling of colleagues who lack core traits we want to see in our own children. For example, there are youth coaches who use their platform to support racist ideologies, promote conspiracy theories, or parrot the close-minded attitudes should be outed and banned from ever coaching again. There is absolutely no amount of proper wrestling technique, no trophy big enough to put you child in the temporary care of an individual who harbors dangerous ideas about the world. That's not saying we can't allow our kids to be coached by a Republican or a Democrat, but instead by someone who holds racists or otherwise outlandish and dangerous beliefs. A few years ago I called out a well-known youth wrestling coach for his vocal denial of the tragedy of Sandy Hook. (He claimed it was a false flag attempt by the Obama administration to take away guns … no, seriously.) That coach has since blocked me from his accounts, but under no circumstances would I ever allow a child I know to be in his care or under his tutelage. Our sport is FILLED with talented and compassionate men and women who will teach our next generation to be fair and honest. We don't need that type of sick thinking near our youth. There are other youth coaches with similarly bizarre and hateful outlooks. The conspiracy theorists, the drug abusers, and the simply unhinged. With the absolute depravity being exposed in the trail of the doctor for USA Gymnastics, now is the appropriate time for our community to ponder who we exalt, and why. Because if sick men remain dominant influences in the lives of our youth wrestlers then we risk our values of community, mutual respect and fair treatment of others for the possibility of more medals. Q: Is Cory Clark done competing? -- Scott M. Foley: No. He will be competing next week at the Ivan Yarygin in Krasnoyarsk! Q: Jason Nolf of Penn State vs. Jake Tucker of Michigan State. Nolf stands to his feet, Tucker locks his hands, Nolf puts his hand down on the mat. Ref calls locked hands, commentators even said that should be an unsportsmanlike conduct point according to the rules against Nolf. Nolf eacapes, takes him down, and pins him. If the MSU coach had challenged that call, the call could have (would have) been overturned, would that mean pin is waved off and match restarts at the point of the penalty? They are applying in takedowns that are called too early. Wondering if same applies here. Thanks! -- Frank C. Foley: I suppose you could challenge a bad call, but locked hands doesn't stop a match unless the offender improves his position. Because this could have only been an unsportsmanlike and no advantage was gained by the offending locked hands, I don't think the outcome would be affected. Any referees care to build on the scenarios and provide additional clarity? Q: I love dual meets, but HATE the scoring. Here is a tweak I propose. What do you think? Team points are simply the accumulation of a matches individual score, with pins worth 22 points (how I got there in a second). So, a big problem right now, is guys who are up 10 points with 45 seconds left don't chase the tech. They secure the major. What if a 12-point lead mattered? A technical fall brings the balance of the scoring to +15 for the winning wrestler … in theory. You can tech someone by as many as 21 points (If you are up 14, have riding time secured, and hit a 6-point move, you win by 21). Since the theoretical max for a tech is 21, then a pin should be worth 22 (no other points scored by either wrestler in a pin get added). This would make every match more exciting, would make sense to a viewer, and would help casual fans. What do you think? -- Anil C. Foley: I'm not sure about the separation between technical fall and pin being so large, since I've literally never seen someone get teched by 21 points. However, you also want to incentivize the fall so an additional five or six points seems about right. Would this actually encourage more active wrestling? And wouldn't a single match with a large differential make an otherwise competitive match less-so? Would it maybe be better to simply increase the points and number of winnable categories? +1-4pts = 1-4 team points +5-9 = 7 team points +10-15 = 11 team points Fall = 14 team points In my scoring scenario 15 points is just to signal the end of competitive match. There is no need to award more team points for an additional tilt, when capping it creates a more competitive team race. I'm liking your logic! Good stuff. Q: I agree with getting rid of riding time. I also would suggest that the wrestler on top should be allowed to cut the bottom man and return the action to the neutral without giving up and "escape" point. My one caveat would be that this can only be done after a break in the action like going out of bounds, blood time, or the start of a period where it is clear that the bottom wrestler didn't "earn" anything and shouldn't be awarded an escape point. If there is a takedown and the top man desires to cut the bottom man loose while the action is still going then there is an escape point willfully given by the top man in exchange to return to neutral and that is his strategic decision. So now we have removed the incentive to just simply ride for time and we have mostly removed the penalty for wanting the action to return to neutral. What do you think? This would also cut back on this situation: Wrestler 1 is dominant and gets four takedowns in the first period followed by cutting Wrestler 2 four times. Wrestler 2 begins the second period on bottom and is cut loose. It's 8-5 in a totally one-sided match! This doesn't make sense and this match will go on longer than it needs to. -- Dustin K. Foley: Agreed that it might be a better scenario, but if the offensive wrestler is also allowed to ride on top for limitless amount of time it's pretty likely that 8-point leads will be sat on, or more appropriate, LAID on. STORY OF THE WEEK By Sean M. I am a fan of wrestling, a coach and still a student of the sport. I love wrestling, what it is and what it can be for people. Every now and then, not that I need them, I get little reminders of just how special the sport is. I was working the clock at our local high school's senior night dual last night. It was interesting because while boasting a very large roster, we only had three seniors, and only one is regularly in the starting lineup. Despite that, all three seniors had a chance to compete. The regular starter got a solid win over a good opponent who was favored over him, another, who has been in and out of the lineup due to injury throughout his career, also notched a win. The third senior, who has been in the club/high school program for seven years, was making his varsity debut, and it was under the spotlight. Despite never cracking the lineup, this kid goes to every practice, always has a positive attitude, goes to every meet and is the first to volunteer to work the clock or book when we host tournaments for the middle school and club (and we host quite a few). He has become infamous in his ability to fundraise and was the anchor when the wrestling team defeated the girl's soccer team at this year's "Battle of the Bones" (a fundraiser where the kids sell pork steak dinners then have a chicken wing eating contest). He walks out for the first time in a varsity singlet and I'm not going to lie, it didn't look great starting out. The other kid was just a bit bigger, a bit stronger and a bit more athletic, but he kept battling, and his opponent started to fade. He showed the tenacity and stick-to-it-iveness that you may come to expect from someone who will hang around for four years without cracking the lineup. As his opponent started to tire, he began to climb back, taking him down then hooking an ankle and cranking a three-quarter nelson for the fall. I have been around wrestling for a long time and have been a part of and witness to some very big wins. I do not believe I have ever heard a bench erupt with cheers of this magnitude. As the clock worker, I am supposed to act unbiased, but knowing the back story, I couldn't contain myself. The crowd shared the same sentiment, while there was a full house, not a seat was taken at that moment. This kid will likely never set foot on a mat again as a competitor, but this moment will remain with him forever. The attitude, grit, and dedication he has shown over the past four years will last a lifetime and allow him to be successful no matter what path he chooses to take. I sat on the couch later that night thinking about how special this sport really is. Few other activities could allow him that opportunity. To go out there and earn a victory in front of his home crowd in that environment, on that night, is truly special. It all goes to show that you do not have to be an all-star for this sport to mean something. You do not have to become a state champ in order to learn what hard work and dedication are. And you do not have to be a world champion to touch the lives of others. I think everyone who was a witness to what happened last night in Edwardsville, Illinois, will remember it forever. I know I will.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Augustana wrestling team improved to 7-2 in duals on the season and moved to 2-0 in NSIC duals with a 27-9 victory over SMSU in the Elmen Center on Thursday night. The Vikings went young against the Mustangs with half of their starters being underclassmen and only two seniors in the top group. The team did not buckle under the circumstances and picked up the win. The two seniors earned victories to lead the team and the two freshman picked up wins on the big stage. Freshmen Brayden Curry and Keaten Schorr, each making their dual debuts, put Augustana on the board and gave them the lead. Curry wrestled Brock Buysse to a 4-1 decision at 133 pounds, improving to 14-7 on the season. Schorr, at 141, gave the Vikings the early lead with a strong debut. Schorr came out quick and strong en route to an 18-3 tech fall over Nick Santos. Oscar Ramirez Jr., at 149, kept it going for the Vikings with a hard fought 5-3 decision over Justin Haneke. Ramirez Jr. improved to 8-1 in duals on the season and gave Augustana an 11-6 lead at the intermission. Regan Bye kickstarted the Vikings out of the intermission with a 6-0 decision over Kegen Fingalsen at 165. Lukas Poloncic and Aero Amo continued that momentum with a pair of bonus point victories. Poloncic, at 174, picked up an 11-2 major decision over Griffin Osing and Amo, at 184, got a fall in 1:09 against Cole Hennen. Clayton Wahlstrom outworked Jackson Ryan at 197 pounds to earn a 3-2 decision and the Vikings went on to take the dual 27-9. The Vikings conclude the weekend with their first road NSIC dual of the season. Augustana travels to Moorhead, Minn. on Saturday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. to take on MSU Moorhead. Results: 125 Taylor Curtis (Southwest Minnesota State) over Brandon Carroll (Augustana (SD)) (Dec 5-3) 0 3 133 Brayden Curry (Augustana (SD)) over Brock Buysse (Southwest Minnesota State) (Dec 4-1) 3 0 141 Keaten Schorr (Augustana (SD)) over Nick Santos (Southwest Minnesota State) (TF 19-3 4:10) 5 0 149 Oscar Ramirez-Hernandez Jr (Augustana (SD)) over Justin Haneke (Southwest Minnesota State) (Dec 5-3) 3 0 157 Cortez Arredondo (Southwest Minnesota State) over Bailey Neises (Augustana (SD)) (Dec 5-3) 0 3 165 Regan Bye (Augustana (SD)) over Kegen Fingalsen (Southwest Minnesota State) (Dec 6-0) 3 0 174 Lukas Poloncic (Augustana (SD)) over Griffin Osing (Southwest Minnesota State) (MD 11-2) 4 0 184 Aero Amo (Augustana (SD)) over Cole Hennen (Southwest Minnesota State) (Fall 1:09) 6 0 197 Clayton Wahlstrom (Augustana (SD)) over Jackson Ryan (Southwest Minnesota State) (Dec 4-3) 3 0 285 Andrew Petersen (Southwest Minnesota State) over Luke Nohns (Augustana (SD)) (Dec 6-4) 0 3

UW-Oshkosh won six consecutive contests to overcome an early deficit and defeat Milwaukee School of Engineering, 36-10, in a wrestling match held Thursday (Jan. 18) in Kolf Sports Center. The Titans (3-7) fell behind 7-0 before scoring 32 straight points to take a 32-7 lead with two bouts remaining. UW-Oshkosh's run of points included pins by John DePersia at 197 pounds and Jaylin Johnson at 125. DePersia gave the Titans an 11-7 lead by sticking Duncan Heath to the mat in 1:04 while Johnson increased UW-Oshkosh's advantage to 23-7 by cementing Mark Niewierowski to the surface in 2:35. DePersia's pin was the second-fastest by a Titan this season. Milwaukee School of Engineering (1-3), which suffered a 35-11 loss to UW-Oshkosh on Jan. 6 in Dubuque, Iowa, opened Thursday's match with wins by Drew Matticks at 165 pounds and Helton Vandenbush at 174. Matticks defeated Tony Kontney, 8-4, while Vandenbush ousted Husam Alabed, 10-2. Colten Cashmore followed Alabed's setback and gave UW-Oshkosh its first team points with his 17-1 victory over Miro Stojanovic at 184 pounds. Cashmore improved his season record to 17-3 with the win. The Titans then scored six team points in three consecutive contests as DePersia pinned Heath, Ben Kitslaar won by a forfeit at 285 pounds and Johnson pinned Niewierowski. UW-Oshkosh went ahead 27-7 when Anthony Senthavisouk defeated Preston Makoutz, 15-2, at 133 pounds. The Titans then extended their advantage to 32-7 when Dellas Vandenberg ousted Jimmy Cushman, 17-1, at 141 pounds. The Raiders got three team points back to make the score 32-10 when Sam Rathburn defeated Shane Dziadosz, 13-8, at 149 pounds. UW-Oshkosh closed the match with Corey Knudsen's 11-3 victory over Jack Rathburn at 157 pounds. The Titans travel to Crawfordsville, Ind., for matches on Saturday (Jan. 20) against Millikin University (Ill.), host Wabash College and Manchester University (Ind.). Results: 165 Drew Matticks (MSOE) Def. Tony Kontney (UWO), 8-4 03/03 00/00 174 Helton Vandenbush (MSOE) Def. Husam Alabed (UWO), 10-2 04/07 00/00 184 Colten Cashmore (UWO) Def. Miro Stojanovic (MSOE), 17-1 00/07 05/05 197 John DePersia (UWO) Pinned Duncan Heath (MSOE), 1:04 00/07 06/11 285 Ben Kitslaar (UWO) Won By Forfeit 00/07 06/17 125 Jaylin Johnson (UWO) Pinned Mark Niewierowski (MSOE), 2:35 00/07 06/23 133 Anthony Senthavisouk (UWO) Def. Preston Makoutz (MSOE), 15-2 00/07 04/27 141 Dellas Vandenberg (UWO) Def. Jimmy Cushman (MSOE), 17-1 00/07 05/32 149 Sam Rathburn (MSOE) Def. Shane Dziadosz (UWO), 13-8 03/10 00/32 157 Corey Knudsen (UWO) Def. Jack Rathburn (MSOE), 11-3 00/10 04/36

Alamosa, Colorado -- The Adams State University wrestling team (1-7) put on quite a show tonight in front of a rowdy crowd in Plachy Hall against New Mexico Highlands. Just like last season, ASU would pick up their first team win of the season in their first home showing defeating the Cowboys 25-16. The night started out wonderfully at 125 pounds when Darek Huff dominated Dominic Rivera in a 14-3 major decision. Luis Gurule added to the excitement when he pinned Adrian George at the 5:18 mark at 133 pounds. Gurule is now 7-1 on the year with three pins. The Grizzlies would go on to lose the next three as Marquel Parks was pinned by Logan Pine (5:45), Natrelle Demison lost in the last few seconds to Reis Humphrey in a 6-5 decision, and Kellen Pelzel blanked Josh Salas via 10-0 major decision. The stretch gave the Cowboys a 13-10 advantage. Koery Windham would then tech fall Allen Michel 18-3 at 165 pounds in a violent affair that saw Windham slam Michel all over the place to give Adams back the lead for good. The 174 pound battle that ensued was arguably the highlight of the night. Isaac Lopez wrestled up a weight class against Kenneth Yara and things got heated real quickly. Lopez would lift his heavier opponent up high and slam him directly on his back on 3-4 occasions to the eruption of the crowd. He almost threw him into the crowd in the closing seconds, putting an exclamation point on his 15-7 major decision. Richard Bencomo increased the lead with a 6-4 decision over Jonathan Bechtloff. However, Christopher Collins would get the better of Joe Bencomo in a 3-2 decision at 197 pounds. The heavyweight showdown moved rather slowly with both Tuli Laulu and Gabriel Escobedo gaining one point each off escapes by the end of three. Tuli would end it in sudden victory to give Adams their first team win of the year. Next up is a trip to Chadron State on January 26th and Colorado Mines on January 27th.

HARTSVILLE, S.C. -- The King University men's wrestling team jumped back into the rankings on Thursday and followed that with a resounding performance at Coker College. The Tornado jumped out to a 16-0 lead and cruised to a 26-21 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) victory. THE BASICS FINAL SCORE: #22 King 26, Coker 21 LOCATION: DeLoach Center; Hartsville, S.C. RECORDS: King 6-0, 3-0 ECAC; Coker 5-5, 1-2 ECAC HOW IT HAPPENED Reed Jacks got the Tornado off to a hot start with an 18-2 technical fall over Chris Navarro. Following a forfeit win for King, ninth-ranked Bryce Killian earned a 17-0 technical fall victory over Noah Kile, giving the Tornado a 16-0 advantage. Coker then earned three straight victories, cutting their deficit to 16-12 before Darius Rutland and Kody Eichlin earned back-to-back victories. Rutland pinned Ian Maund in 7:00 minutes and Eichlin followed with a 19-5 major decision, stretching the Tornado lead to 26-12. The Cobras won the final two bouts, the last by forfeit as King took the dual 26-21. Results: 125 – Reed Jacks (KING) tech. fall Chris Navarro (COKER), 18-2 (KING 5-0) 133 – Jacob Wynn (KING) wins by forfeit, (KING 11-0) 141 – #9 Bryce Killian (KING) tech. fall Noah Kile (COKER), 17-0 (KING 16-0) 149 – Matthew Kieta (COKER) dec. Landon Goforth (KING), 12-8 (KING 16-3) 157 – Bret Shurina (COKER) pinned Matthew Danner (KING), 2:47 (KING 16-9) 165 – Michael Milam (COKER) dec. Bailey Slattman (KING), 12-6 (KING 16-12) 174 – Darius Rutland (KING) pinned Ian Maund (COKER), 7:00 (KING 22-12) 184 – Kody Eichlin (KING) maj. dec. Chris Coyle (COKER), 19-5 (KING 26-12) 197 – #4 Luis Peguero (COKER) dec. Elijah Seay (KING), 2-1 (KING 26-15) 285 – Robert Parland (COKER) wins by forfeit (KING 26-21) UP NEXT The Tornado are in action at the Super Region II Duals on January 26-27 at Belmont Abbey College. King gets started at 2:00 p.m. on Friday against the University of Findlay. Coker is in action at the Super Region II Duals as well.

OLIVET, Mich. – The No. 13 ranked Olivet College wrestling team scored bonus points in five of six individual match wins to beat Adrian College, 27-19, on Senior Night at The Cutler Event Center in Olivet. THE BASICS Final Score: Olivet 27, Adrian 19 Location: The Cutler Event Center; Olivet, Mich. Records: Olivet 13-4 overall, Adrian 2-7 overall HOW IT HAPPENED Starting the match at 165 pounds, junior Tyler Grimsley used a two-point near-fall as the third-period horn sounded to post a 22-7 technical fall victory. The Bulldogs picked-up an injury default win at 184 pounds to go up 6-5. At 184 pounds, senior Ryan Clark scored eight takedowns, a four-point near-fall and an escape point to notch a 21-5 technical fall to hand the lead back to the Comets, 10-6. Adrian used a pin at 197 pounds and a 3-1 decision at 285 pounds to take a 15-10 lead at the intermission. Olivet won four straight matches to pull away from the Bulldogs. At 125 pounds, freshman Cameron Mahlich received a forfeit win to put Olivet 16-15. Freshman Spencer Fox scored the final nine points of the match to record a 12-3 major decision at 133 pounds. At 141 pounds, senior Dean Roberts hung for a 6-2 decision. Sophomore Cole Hersch took his man down late in the match to register a 9-1 major decision at 149 pounds. The Bulldogs won a 13-2 major decision in the final match at 157 pounds. UP NEXT The Comets are back in action next Friday and Saturday, Jan. 26-27, at the Pete Willson Invitational, hosted by Wheaton (Ill.) College. Results: 165 Tyler Grimsley (Olivet) def. Bryant Moore (Adrian), 22-7 0-5 174 Michael Jacobs (Adrian) won by injury default 6-5 184 Ryan Clark (Olivet) def. Wesley Ethan Garcia (Adrian), 21-5 6-10 197 Jake Burns (Adrian) pinned Clayton Higelmire (Olivet), 2:07 12-10 285 Zachary Reiger (Adrian) def. Jalen McFerrin-Pace, 3-1 15-10 125 Cameron Mahlich (Olivet) won by forfeit 15-16 133 Spencer Fox (Olivet) def. Dominic Paterra (Adrian), 12-3 15-20 141 Dean Roberts (Olivet) def. James Renaud (Adrian), 6-2 15-23 149 Cole Hersch (Olivet) def. Noah Nieman (Adrian), 9-1 15-27 157 Dylan Steward (Adrian) def. John Leark (Olivet), 13-2 19-27

NEWBERRY -- Newberry opened up a 24-0 advantage after the first six weight classes in the conference opener against Belmont Abbey Thursday evening, coasting to a 36-11 victory. The 13th-ranked Wolves (7-2, 1-0 ECAC) saw Austin Palmer, Nick Weldon, and Patton Gossett capture victories by fall. At 157 lbs., Palmer revisited the mat after dominating the competition at the Tracy Borah Duals in Gunnison, Colo. Facing off against Jonathan Charpenter, it would take just 45 seconds to earn his fourth fall of the season. Following suit in the 285 lb. weight class, Weldon would take down his opponent in just two minutes, after recording a takedown and a two point nearfall. Gossett finished off with a win by fall in 24 seconds over Chass Delgado, making him 6-0 in falls this season. Austin Neal, a sophomore from Rutherfordton, N.C. may have had the best performance of the night. Just one minute into the match, he went down 6-0 with a takedown and a four-point nearfall. With time in the second period winding down, Neal fell behind 10-4, but he rebounded in the third period where he turned up the heat and was able to make a comeback to seize the 13-12 win with the benefit of the advantage time point. Jake Glunt provided Belmont Abbey with their first win of the night at 174 pounds, winning by fall in a little over four minutes. His younger brother Luke gave the Crusaders their only other win by tech fall moments later. The Wolves checked into the No. 13 spot in the national rankings this week, after going 2-2 against steep competition at the Tracy Borah Duals. Jordan Simpson remains the nation's top-ranked wrestler at 125 lbs., while Palmer sits at fifth at 157 lbs. Newberry returns to Eleazer Arena on January 23 as the Wolves welcome Limestone for an Eastern College Athletic Conference dual. The contest is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Wabash traveled to Decatur, Illinois Thursday evening, for a dual wrestling meet against Millikin University. The Little Giants scored six wins to take a 25-15 victory. Sunny Nier opened the night with a 7-4 decision at 125 pounds to provide a 3-0 lead for Wabash. Owen Doster followed with an 18-1 technical fall in the 133-pound bout for an 8-0 advantage in favor of of the Little Giants. Brice Everson added four more points to Wabash's team total with a 16-2 major decision at 141 pounds. Kyle Hatch entered the evening ranked among the top ten among Division III wrestlers in falls entering the night with 11. He added another to his season total by pinning Blake Tisza in 1:31 of their 157-pound bout. Jared Timberman picked up a 12-3 major decision versus Jake Tisza at 165 pounds. Darden Schurg scored the final victory for Wabash with a major decision (17-4) at 174 pounds. The two teams will participate in the Max Servies Duals at Wabash on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m. in the Knowling Fieldhouse. Wabash will open against Thomas More College in the opening round of the duals before facing the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh at 10:30 a.m. The Little Giants will close out the day against Cornell College beginning at noon. Results: 125 Sunny Nier (Wabash) over Brandon Muselman (Millikin University) (Dec 7-4) 0 3 133 Owen Doster (Wabash) over Angel Rios Jr (Millikin University) (TF 18-1 7:00) 0 5 141 Brice Everson (Wabash) over Nick Sablan (Millikin University) (MD 16-2) 0 4 149 Bradan Birt (Millikin University) over Austin Bethel (Wabash) (Dec 13-10) 3 0 157 Kyle Hatch (Wabash) over Blake Tisza (Millikin University) (Fall 1:31) 0 6 165 Jared Timberman (Wabash) over Jake Tisza (Millikin University) (MD 12-3) 0 4 174 Darden Schurg (Wabash) over Austin Hedrick (Millikin University) (MD 17-4) 0 4 184 Griffin Meeker (Millikin University) over Hunter Bates (Wabash) (Dec 5-3) 3 0 197 Isaiah Herrera (Millikin University) over Grant Gough (Wabash) (Dec 6-3) 3 0 285 Myron Hamilton (Millikin University) over Unknown (For.) 6 0

MOORHEAD, Minn. -- Winning eight of 10 bouts, including seven by bonus-point margins, the top-ranked Augsburg University wrestling team scored a 36-6 victory over host Concordia College-Moorhead in a dual meet on Thursday evening. THE BASICS FINAL SCORE: Augsburg 36, Concordia-Moorhead 6 LOCATION: Memorial Auditorium, Moorhead, Minn. RECORD: Augsburg 10-1 overall, Concordia 3-9 overall HOW IT HAPPENED • Augsburg, the top-ranked team in the latest National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III national rankings, won the first five bouts to take a 24-0 lead. Concordia won the next two bouts, but Augsburg took the final three, all by major decision, to clinch the win. Augsburg had four major decisions, a pin, technical fall and a win by forfeit among its eight victories. • Ryan Epps (SO, Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls HS), the No. 4-ranked 157-pounder nationally, improved to 22-1 on the season with the lone pin of the evening, a 47-second match-ender of Keaton Long. The pin, Epps' fifth of the season, was his first in under 60 seconds. • Victor Gliva (SO, Farmington, Minn./Farmington HS), ranked No. 10 at 125, scored a 15-0 technical fall over Jake Nohre. Gliva used two takedowns, a reversal, a four-point near-fall, two 2-point near-falls and a riding-time point to score the 15-0 triumph. Gliva is now 19-3 on the season, including 12 bonus-point wins (six pins, one technical fall, five major decisions), and has won 16 of his last 17 matches. • No. 5-ranked 149-pounder Alex Wilson (JR, Oak Grove, Minn./St. Francis HS) claimed an 8-0, major-decision win over Ty Jonson. Wilson is now 19-3 on the season, with 15 bonus-point wins (six pins, five technical falls, four major decisions). • Sebastian Larson (SR, River Falls, Wis./River Falls HS), ranked No. 10 at 184, improved to 18-5 on the year with a 10-2 major decision over Nick Gravdahl, using two takedowns and a four-point near-fall to score the convincing win. Larson is 7-2 since moving down a weight class to 184 at the midway point of the campaign. • Jonny Zarnke (SO, Chaska, Minn./Chaska HS) scored the first 10 points of his bout with Kody Van Den Eykel at 197 and nearly claimed a technical fall, but settled for a 17-3 major decision win. He had two four-point near-falls, two takedowns and a reversal in the victory. • Heavyweight Ethan Hofacker (SO, Spring Valley, Wis./Spring Valley HS) scored his second major decision win of the year, a 9-0 triumph over Bryce Kallenbach. He scored a takedown and four-point near-fall in the first period to build a convincing advantage. • No. 5-ranked 133-pounder Sam Bennyhoff (JR, Mound, Minn./Mound-Westonka HS) improved to 22-2 on the season with a 9-3 win over Aaron Dick, using three takedowns, two escapes and a riding-time point to earn the victory. BEYOND THE BOXSCORE • Augsburg has now won four dual meets in a row over Concordia-Moorhead. • Against fellow Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference schools, Augsburg is now 208-7 since the 1975-76 season. • Against opponents from Divisions II and III, Augsburg is now 324-50-1 in dual meets since the 1989-90 season. Augsburg has lost just 46 matches to non-Division I opponents since the 1995-96 season • Against strictly NCAA Division III opponents, Augsburg is now 314-49-1 since the 1979-80 season. Since the 1989-90 season, Augsburg is 239-39-1 against Division III opponents. FOR THE FOES • Joseph Heinz scored Concordia's first victory of the evening, a 10-7 decision over Augsburg's Brady McFarland (JR, Windlake, Wis.) at 165 pounds. • Jake Johnson claimed a 9-6 upset win over Augsburg's Tanner Vassar (SO, Maple Lake, Minn./Maple Lake HS), the No. 6-ranked 174-pounder nationally. UP NEXT • Augsburg hosts Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a dual meet on Sunday (1/21) at 3 p.m. at Si Melby Hall. The Auggies will be hosting a "Reunion of 8s," welcoming back Auggie teams that won MIAC titles in 1968, 1978, 1988, 1993 and 1998. The 1993 and 1998 Auggies also won two of the program's 12 NCAA Division III national championship titles. Results: 125 -- No. 10 Victor Gliva (AUG, 19-3) tech. fall Jake Nohre (CC) 15-0 at 7:00 (Augsburg 5-0). 133 -- No. 5 Sam Bennyhoff (AUG, 22-2) dec. Aaron Dick (CC) 9-3 (Augsburg 8-0). 141 -- No. 7 David Flynn (AUG, 10-3) wins by forfeit (Augsburg 14-0). 149 -- No. 5 Alex Wilson (AUG, 19-3) maj. dec. Ty Jonson (CC) 8-0 (Augsburg 18-0). 157 -- No. 4 Ryan Epps (AUG, 22-1) pinned Keaton Long (CC) 0:47 (Augsburg 24-0). 165 -- Joseph Heinz (CC) dec. Brady McFarland (AUG, 20-8) 10-7 (Augsburg 24-3). 174 -- Jake Johnson (CC) dec. No. 6 Tanner Vassar (AUG, 22-5) 9-6 (Augsburg 24-6). 184 -- No. 10 Sebastian Larson (AUG, 18-5) maj. dec. Nick Gravdahl (CC) 10-2 (Augsburg 28-6). 197 -- Jonny Zarnke (AUG, 11-15) maj. dec. Kody Van Den Eykel (CC) 17-3 (Augsburg 32-6) HWT -- Ethan Hofacker (AUG, 6-15) maj. dec. Bryce Kallenbach (CC) 9-0 (Augsburg 36-6).

The No. 8 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrestling team claimed six of the 10 individual bouts Thursday night to earn a 19-15 triumph over 12th-ranked UW-La Crosse in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference dual at Kachel Gymnasium. The Warhawks (9-5 overall, 4-0 WIAC) picked up their fourth win of the season over a nationally ranked opponent and their second this season against the Eagles (8-4, 2-1). Sophomore Mike Tortorice (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel), ranked ninth by the National Wrestling Coaches Association and eighth by D3wrestle.com, improved to 18-2 on the year with an impressive 8-0 major decision over No. 7/6 Zach Villarreal, who entered the bout undefeated. Sophomore Hazen Rice (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) moved to 14-4 on the season at 133 with a 4-0 decision over Sawyer Sarbacker. Rice, ranked No. 7 by the NWCA and No. 8 by D3wrestle.com, scored all four points in the third period thanks to an escape, a takedown and the riding time point. Senior Austin Quartullo (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) scored five points in the second period and hung on for a 5-3 decision at 149 over Spencer Nevills. Quartullo improved to 14-7 with the win. At 157, Isaiah Vela (West Chicago, Ill./St. Charles East) registered a takedown with under 10 seconds to go in the third period to edge Grant Zamin by decision, 4-3. Vela moved above the .500 mark to 8-7 with the victory. In another thrilling bout, junior Nicholas Bonomo (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) spun Sawyer Massie for a reversal with fewer than 10 seconds to go in the third period to pick up a critical 6-5 triumph and push the UW-Whitewater lead to 16-8. Bonomo is now 11-8. Senior Jordan Newman (Blaine, MN/St. John's Military Academy), the consensus top-ranked wrestler in the nation at 197, survived a four-point nearfall in the second period of his match against Wesley Schultz en route to a 7-4 win by decision. He is now 13-1 for the year. The Warhawks host the Willie Myers Open this Saturday at the Williams Center. Competition begins at 9 a.m. Results: 125: Mike Tortorice (Wauconda, Ill./Carmel) d. Zach Villarreal (UW-La Crosse) by major decision, 8-0 133: Hazen Rice (Schaumburg, Ill./Schaumburg) d. Sawyer Sarbacker (UW-La Crosse) by decision, 4-0 141: Hayden Schlough (UW-La Crosse) d. Jaime Valdez (Addison, Ill./Addison Trail) by technical fall, 21-2 (6:46) 149: Austin Quartullo (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) d. Spencer Nevills (UW-La Crosse) by decision, 5-3 157: Isaiah Vela (West Chicago, Ill./St. Charles East) d. Grant Zamin (UW-La Crosse) by decision, 4-3 165: Mitch Hertel (UW-La Crosse) d. Ryder Sigler (Fredonia, Wis./Cedarburg) by decision, 7-3 174: Nicholas Bonomo (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) d. Sawyer Massie (UW-La Crosse) by decision, 6-5 184: Sean O'Neil (UW-La Crosse) d. Nick Stencel (Oregon, Ohio/Clay) by decision, 4-1 197: Jordan Newman (Blaine, MN/St. John's Military Academy) d. Wesley Schultz (UW-La Crosse) by decision, 7-4 285: Konrad Ernst (UW-La Crosse) d. Nick Graziano (Midlothian, Ill./Oak Forest) by major decision, 14-1

Morningside jumped in front 27-0 after the first six weight divisions and coasted to a 30-11 GPAC wrestling victory against Doane on Thursday in Crete, Neb. The Mustangs, ranked 18th nationally in the latest NAIA poll, leveled their dual record at 3-3 and climbed to 3-0 in the GPAC to move into a first place tie in the league standings with Northwestern. All three of the Mustangs' losses this season are against NCAA Division II opponents. Devin Phaly got the Mustangs rolling with a 3-2 decision against George Shadbolt in the opening 125 lb. bout and the Mustangs never looked back. Nick Madsen was a pin winner for the Mustangs by disposing of John Mark Reddick in 2:25 in the 165 lb. match. Steven Garcia, this week's GPAC Wrestler of the Week, won by technical fall in a 20-5 romp over Austin Miller at 149 lbs. to extend his winning streak to nine straight triumphs to improve his record to 16-3. Kyle Fowler won by a 9-0 major decision at 157 lbs., Alex Schmitz won by a 12-5 decision at 141 lbs. and Phil Rasmussen won a 4-1 decision in the heavyweight finale. The Mustangs also received a victory from Dusten Reed, who won by forfeit at 133 lbs. Morningside will compete in the Minnesota West Community College Worthington Open on Saturday. Results: 125- Devin Phaly (M) def. George Shadbolt, 3-2. 133- Dusten Reed (M) won by forfeit. 141- Alex Schmitz (M) def. Seth Hood, 12-5. 149- Steven Garcia (M) def. Austin Miller by technical fall, 20-5. 157- Kyle Fowler (M) def. Gage Herron, 9-0. 165- Nick Madsen (M) pinned John Mark Reddick, 2:25. 174- Dustin Carstens (D) def. Jacob Willey, 10-8. 184- Zach Linton (D) def. Elijah Dirkx by technical fall, 16-1. 197- Chandler Knight (D) def. Caleb Deemer, 8-6. Hwt- Phil Rasmussen (M) def. Jake Smith, 4-1.

South Dakota State erased a slow start with a dominant showing in the upper weights to defeat Wyoming, 20-18, in a college wrestling battle between ranked opponents from the Big 12 Conference Thursday night before a crowd of 2,236 at Frost Arena. The 15th-ranked Jackrabbits won their eighth dual in a row to improve to 8-2 overall and 3-0 in conference matchups. Wyoming dropped 7-3 overall and 1-2 against league foes. Wyoming built a 10-0 lead through the first three matches on the strength of victories from a trio of ranked wrestlers. With the dual starting at 149 pounds, 19th-ranked Sam Turner opened with a 3-0 decision over Colten Carlson. Next, 12th-ranked Archie Colgan scored a 5-3 decision over SDSU's 10th-ranked Luke Zilverberg in the 157-pound bout. The Cowboys' 14th-ranked Branson Ashworth made it 10-0 in favor of Wyoming with an 11-3 decision over Jackrabbit 165-pounder Zach Carlson. SDSU countered with five wins in a row to take control of the dual. Ninth-ranked David Kocer got the Jackrabbits started in the right direction with a 9-1 major decision over Kyle Pope -- a match in which Kocer racked up more than five minutes of riding time against his 174-pound opponent. The momentum swung firmly in the Jackrabbits' favor in the 184-pound matchup, where Martin Mueller notched a pin late in the first period against Chaz Polson, tying the match at 10. Nate Rotert, ranked 11th at 197 pounds, gave SDSU the lead with its third bonus-point win a row. Rotert nearly pinned Cody Vigoren midway through the third period before settiling for a 13-2 major decision. The Jackrabbit winning streak hit five with decisions by Alex Macki (3-1) and Connor Brown (8-6). Macki recorded a late takedown against Sam Eagan in the heavyweight match, while Brown scored on a pair of reversals in the third period of his 125-pound bout against Drake Foster. Wyoming drew within 20-15 with one match to go on a 22-7 technical fall victory by fifth-ranked Montorie Bridges over SDSU's backup 133-pounder Tyler Pieper. That set the stage for one of the marquee matchups in college wrestling so far this season as SDSU's top-ranked 133-pounder Seth Gross moved up a weight class to take on top-ranked 141-pounder Bryce Meredith of Wyoming. After a scoreless first period, Gross cracked the scoring column first with an escape 30 seconds into the second period. Meredith countered with an escape seconds into the third period and posted the only takedown of the match moments later for a 3-1 lead. Gross managed another escape late in the final period, but Meredith tacked on the final point via a riding-time advantage of 1:11 to pull out the 4-2 decision. Gross' first loss of the season ended a 28-match winning streak in duals for the Jackrabbit junior, whose last dual loss before Thursday also came at the hands of Meredith on Jan. 29, 2016, in a 6-4 decision. UP NEXT The Jackrabbits close out their two-match homestand by hosting 11th-ranked Northern Iowa Sunday afternoon. Start time is 2 p.m. at Frost Arena NOTES • Wyoming leads the all-time series, 15-4, although SDSU has won three meetings in a row and four of the last five • The Jackrabbits improved to 17-3 in duals against Big 12 foes since joining the league at the start of the 2015-16 season • David Kocer moved into sole possession of 14th place in career victories at SDSU with 97, breaking a tie with his older brother, Alex (96-44 record from 2014-17) and Tyler Bryant (96-32 record from 2000-03) • Rotert remained undefeated in duals this season at 9-0 and also moved into a tie for 19th place on the SDSU career victories chart with 88 wins against 35 losses, equaling Jeff Hohertz (88-23-1 record from 1977-81) and current teammate Luke Zilverberg (88-43 record) • SDSU improved to 2-2 in duals against ranked opponents this season Results: 149: #19 Sam Turner (WYO) dec. Colten Carlson (SDSU), 3-0 157: #12 Archie Colgan (WYO) dec. #10 Luke Zilverberg (SDSU), 5-3 165: #14 Branson Ashworth (WYO) major dec. Zach Carlson (SDSU), 11-3 174: #9 David Kocer (SDSU) major dec. Kyle Pope (WYO), 9-1 184: Martin Mueller (SDSU) def. Chaz Polson (WYO), by fall 2:49 197: #11 Nate Rotert (SDSU) major dec. Cody Vigoren (WYO), 13-2 285: Alex Macki (SDSU) dec. Sam Eagan (WYO), 3-1 125: Connor Brown (SDSU) dec. Drake Foster (WYO), 8-6 133: #5 Montorie Bridges (WYO) tech. fall Tyler Pieper (SDSU), 22-7 [6:11] 141: #1 Bryce Meredith (WYO) dec. Seth Gross (SDSU), 4-2